Word of the Day
by Beloved Dawn
Summary: The title says it all. A self-made challenge to write a drabble a day on a topic I don't pick. Vocabulary enhancing, if nothing else.
1. Malinger

_Something I've been meaning to do for a while now. Short, non connected drabbles based on one of these possibilites: Wikipedia's arcticle of the day, 's word of the day, a quote, or a shuffle song. Short, short, short little things. Mainly, just to make me actually sit down and write every day. I'm really bad for sticking with projects. This is to train me to just _do it_. I may not get them posted every day, but I'll put up all the ones in one batch if I missed a day._

_That said, I hope you enjoy. Most of them will probably be Ami-centric, just because she's the most likely to know/use the words. _

_Day 1: Malinger_

* * *

"Usagi..." Rei was at the end of her temper. The blonde just refused to act like a proper leader, and it was starting to show in battles.

Makoto and Minako exchanged glances, while Luna arched her back, obviously about to start berating the girl herself.

Usagi, for her part, pouted. She knew she should be training, but was sick of the others being on her case all the time. No, she didn't like fighting. She was a _pacifist_, for crying out loud!

Hands suddenly slammed down on the table, just as the skies opened up. "I. Am. _Sick_ of this." Ami hissed, her voice as cold as her element. "You two are neither mother nor father to her. Nagging has gotten you _nowhere_. Quit it."

Then she turned to her best friend, who was looking at her in surprise. "And _you,_" She said, voice still low. "Are going to quit malingering and start training."

She stood up and held her pen out. "Mercury Power!"

Once she was transformed, she put her hands on her hips and glared at the others. "If you're not all out going for a run before I reach five, I promise you will not be able to have a warm drink or shower for a month. Now GO!"

The other four were out the door before she'd even begun counting, rain or no. She smiled. It was good to know she could _make_ them comply when they were fighting like this. She filed that note away for later examining before running after them. "I said _run_! Get those legs moving!"


	2. Inkhorn

_Day 2: Inkhorn_

* * *

The girls clustered around the quietest of their number, not sure what to do or say. Something unprecedented had happened in class today. Someone had managed to outsmart Ami.

Finally she decided to lessen the tension. She smiled at them, obviously amused. "I don't really care if he knows more than I do on that subject. Really, what does it matter if Shakespeare's actual Gregorian birthday was May third? What possible bearing could it have on my current life if he was or was not born on April twenty-third? Honestly, girls, it's _not_ that big a deal."

That reassured her friends, but was unfortunately overheard by the classmate in question. He had been gloating to his friends before entering the arcade, and hearing his so-called rival belittling his accomplishment was galling.

"Can't take that someone knew something you didn't, can you? You snobby little brat. You think you're the only one allowed to be smart, eh?" He stalked over to the table the girls occupied, glaring fiercely. Four of the occupants bristled, but they were waved down by a negligent hand from the only one still paying more attention to her milkshake.

"You can be as smart as you like. In fact, I encourage it. That doesn't mean I'm planning on keeping score anytime soon. Even if I just remembered mine, I don't think it would work." She looked up at him finally, humour in her face. "Even I can't count _that_ high."

The spectators burst out laughing, and he went bright red. She looked forward again, seeming to ignore him, and raised one slender finger to her chin. "1582. He would have been eighteen when his birthday was changed. That's got to be a pain. Do you know why they switched to the Gregorian calendar from the Julian?"

He didn't say anything, so she continued, apparently oblivious to his increasing discomfort. "Because the ancient Egyptians made a mistake with their math. They calculated the length of year to be 356.25 days. They were out by approximately eleven minutes. By 1582 the time of the vernal equinox was out by about ten days. The Pope declared that October 5th was now October 15th, and changed the leap year rules, making there only 97 in a 400 year period, not 100. I hadn't considered that this would change Shakespeare's birthday, but it makes sense thinking about it."

He was beet red now, and everyone in the arcade was staring at Ami. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. She just shrugged, apparently unconcerned about the attention. "Knowing that doesn't mean trapping a classmate with 'When was his birthday?' makes you look smart. In fact, that sort of inkhorn knowledge just makes you look like a tool, especially if you can't back it up. Now, if you'll excuse me?"

She didn't wait for him to answer, just got up and headed to the front counter. She placed a bill on the table and smiled at the blonde staring at her like she'd grown an extra head. "That was a wonderful milkshake, Motoki, as usual. Thank you."

Then she left, breezing out the door like nothing had happened. Makoto finally broke the silence with a wolf-whistle. "Remind me not to get on her bad side, would you?"

* * *

_Seriously, this is a word? Inkhorn? A basic explaination would be a word only a geek/l33t spk-er/nerd from the middle ages would use._


	3. Bailiwick

_Day 3: Bailiwick_

* * *

"Makooooo, I need your help!" The tall brunette turned at the sound of her name, already knowing who it was that was calling her. There was only one person who could screech like that.

True to expectation, it was a blue-eyed blonde with pigtails who captured her friend in a glomp. "Miss Usagi," She drawled, her voice forming a husky twang with some effort. "Ya know we's supposin' ta be playin' in character. T'were them there rules, ya know? Miss Minako and yerself were them ones makin' them laws, you oughter be followin em, eh?"

Quite correct. This whole costume party at Motoki's had been Usagi's and Minako's idea. So had the costumes. They had just finished setting up, and now were just waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive. There was supposed to be some sort of prize at the end of the night for the one who stayed 'in character' the best. Makoto was a sheriff, right out of Minkao's old western movies. Plaid, button up shirt, canvas vest, jeans, and (where Minako found them, Mako wasn't sure she even _wanted _to know) leather chaps.

Usagi just pouted. "But Makoooo, my costume ripped! I need you to fix it for me!" A frayed seam was placed under her nose, so close it almost made her cross-eyed. She took a step back, then looked into her friend's clear eyes. It was obvious from the way Usagi was staring at her that the girl had complete confidence in her taller friend's ability to 'make it all better'.

Mako scratched her head, looking down at the seam in deep thought. "Ma'am, I hate ta say this, but I'm out of my bailiwick wi' sa-teen. Ain't ever done much with it. Ya'll be more'n likely ta jest tar it again. Daggon weave been comin' undone, ya see?"

Rei raised her eyebrow at her green eyed friend. "Bailiwick, Mako? Why do I think that wasn't on those pages of redneck words you were looking at?" The violet-eyed miko was dressed up like a doll in Lolita clothes. However, she'd declared herself uninterested in the prize, and was _not_ talking like a sweet young child.

"Arrrgh, what be this 'bailiwick' ye all be jabbering abou'?" Yup, Minkao was a pirate. Eyepatch, hat, cutlass, the whole nine yards. She was likely Mako's biggest competitor for the prize. No one knew if that was because she wanted the prize, or just if she enjoyed acting like a pirate.

"It means 'area of expertise' or 'area of authority'. I don't think that's actually western diction, Mako, but it did sound good." Minako quickly switched her attention to her favourite target of the night. She'd declared it her job to make Ami act her part. The shy genius quailed under her friends glare, finally offering up a weak, "Good day, eh?"

Minako turned away, apparently satisfied with that comment. Ami tugged her toque down further on her head, and Rei laughed. "I don't know why you let them dress you up like that. You look like a hobo."

Ami glared at the raven-haired instigator. "I am _not. Ever. _Wearing that cat costume they wanted to give me. It was a body-leotard, and nothing else. And I'd rather spout off random comments about 'jellies', bacon, and hockey than end every sentence 'neyow'."

Rei shook her head and hooked a hand around the now almost hysterical blonde who was still blubbering to poor Mako. "Come on, Odango. I know some things about satin. Lets see if I can't help Mako patch you up."

The three left the room, leaving only Minako and Ami waiting for them in the front room. Three blue eyes met, and Minako managed to only stumble once while trying to sit down. "So why don't you like the cat costume?"

Ami groaned. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

_Spellcheck hates this chapter. What a weird word. I'm always dropping the i's out of it. It has too many i's. Anyone know who Ami's dressed as?_


	4. Nimbus

_Day 4: Nimbus_

* * *

"What is _with_ you today?" Rei asked, almost snarling. "You're always cheerful, but today it's worse than normal."

Even the snarky comment couldn't dampen the blonde's spirits. "I'm in love, that's what."

The miko glared at her bubbly friend. "That's _not_ all that's up with you. I can tell. Normally you have a cheerful glow to the othersenses, but today you're completely enveloped in a nimbus of migraine-inducingly-bright _happy_, and I can barely even look at you! Even your wedding didn't make you this brilliant!"

Blue eyes were lowered, accompanying a slight blush. Even those without the ability to see auras could see she was glowing even more. "Well, today we got confirmation. I'm pregnant."

Usagi was almost buried alive in her friends effusive congratulations. Rei later snagged Ami to the side, to help create contacts that would dull only happy emotions from only the royals. There was no way her eyes were going to survive, otherwise.

* * *

_I was going to mention that this word made my bookishness show, but I only just realized that the reference would probably be lost. It's not a broom, it's a creature named Not In My Back Yard. Nimby. Anyway, I hope you liked._


	5. Hypnagogic

_Day 5: Hypnagogic_

* * *

"Y'know," Minako mused, eyelids starting to droop, "As good as she is, watching Ami play video games puts me right to sleep. There's no wasted movement, no emotion, nothing. I'll start of cheering and end up snoring. It's hypnotic."

Usagi nodded knowingly while Rei and Makoto continued playing 'cat's cradle', ignoring their blonde friends. Ami was still playing the game, all lives intact. Her soft voice actually surprised Rei enough to make her miss her move.

"Hypnotic means it puts you in a trance, Minako. Putting you to sleep is hypnagogic." They all turned to their blue-haired friend, who continued tapping away, seemingly oblivious.

Finally Makoto facepalmed. "Note to self," She muttered. "Ami is _always_ paying attention."

Ami laughed, not missing a beat in destroying the level boss. "I thought you knew _that_ by _now_."

* * *

_Did you know that was a word? I didn't. My spellcheck agrees with me, though. Still, it only means I'm learing new stuff. Hope you like!_


	6. Lexicography

_Day 6: Lexicography_

* * *

"Dark Kingdom: First manifestation of chaos. Attempted to destroy everything in the Silver Millennium. Was put under seal, before being awoken (again) by Beryl."

"Youma: Minions of the Dark Kingdom. Can be destroyed."

"Shittenou: Third rank leaders of the Dark Kingdom. In charge of day-to-day operations. Should probably attempt to turn good, but can be destroyed if un-redeemable or necessary."

"Seven Great Youma: Re-born as humans. DO NOT KILL! Easily turned back using _Moon Healing Escalation_."

"Metallia: Actual evil-energy spirit behind the Dark Kingdom. Destroy with _Moon Healing Escalation_."

"Makaiju: Called Doom Tree, actually Tree of Light. Easily cleansed with _Moon Princess Halation_. DO NOT KILL!"

"Aliens: Usually plant based. Not bad people, but usually do more harm than good before being redeemed and leaving. DO NOT KILL."

"Cardians: Minions of Makaiji Aliens. Animated cards. Can be destroyed."

Bond and brown hair bent industrially over a piece of paper. Both were writing on it and arguing good-naturedly over semantics. Another person approached eventually, coming close in time to hear, "Sailors: Made by having a person's star seed ripped out. Easily fixed by catching both sailor and star seed in _Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss_. Oh, hi Ami!"

"Hi yourself." She replied, pulling the sheet towards her and sitting down. She raised her eyebrows at what she was written. She grabbed Minako's pen out of her hand, adding in one margin _Mistress__ 9: Possessed human. Attempt to free by empowering host to remember life. Should that fail, use _Death Reborn Revolution_ to destroy. _

She pushed the sheet back st her two friends. "Ah. I knew we were forgetting something. It didn't help that we were all unconscious for that fight." Makoto grimaced. She hated that her princess often had to fight without their help.

Ami shrugged. "What we did was important. Anyway, what prompted this? Why the sudden lexicography?" At their blank looks, she sighed. "Why are you making a Senshi dictionary?"

Understanding came into their eyes, and Minako smiled. "They're all forms of Chaos. Eventually ChibiUsa and the Asteroid Senshi will be sent out to fight, while we protect the palace. This way they have an idea of what can be saved, what's too much trouble to try and redeem, and what can only be destroyed."

"Plus we can see the patterns easier, giving us a heads up if Chaos attacks again." Mako nodded decisively. They were so proud of themselves that Ami didn't feel it was necessary to tell them that she already had all of that information on a spreadsheet in her Mercury Computer.


	7. Halcyon

_Day 7: Halcyon_

* * *

"Ugh! You know, if I had a choice, I would _not _have picked political sciences for my major. Just saying." The blonde's bangs were standing almost straight up, and the only thing preventing the rest of her hair from being in such disarray was her buns, which she had yet to take out. Her friends clustered around her, offering support and helping her with the essay she was currently freaking out over.

"Well, you _did_ technically have a choice." Minako commented, placing her finger on her chin and looking thoughtfully off in the distance. She was only doing that so her friends couldn't see the teasing in her eyes, but it still came out in her voice. "You could have done chemical engineering, or agriculture, or a zoologist. A psychology degree would have probably been okay too. You chose to do political sciences."

Usagi glared at her good friend and mirror image. "I decided to spend four years of my life, the _last_ four years where I have _any_ way in what I do, learning things that will aid me in the future. If that was really a choice I could have made differently, I wouldn't be Sailor Moon, now would I? And how did you end up with only getting a criminology degree?"

Long blonde hair was tossed negligently over her shoulder. "Because I suck at everything else, as you well know. The best thing I could do would be what I'm doing, studying ways to be an even better bodyguard and stand-in than I am now. Besides, my job is to lead the Senshi themselves, they're the ones that have to help _you_, and _you_ are the one that has to rule. That takes _me_ off the hook."

Makoto swatted at Minako with her textbook, the act of ducking causing the blonde to fall off her chair and hit the floor. The other four laughed at this display. "You brat." Makoto growled. "I'm even getting a history degree, though I wanted to go to chef school. Rei's well on her way to a philosophy degree, and Ami's getting a pre-med geared biochem degree. Mamoru got his physics degree, and has now gone back part-time to get said chemical engineering. You're the only one who just picked whatever."

Minako clambered back into her chair haughtily. "I worked part-time for the police department before you ever even woke up. It was a natural leap to getting a criminology degree from that. Plus, it means I have previous experience, so can spend more time training and in threat assessment."

Ami laughed and patted her more boisterous friend on the shoulder. "You mean more time on video games. Motoki told me the other day he's surprised you haven't broken the Sailor V game yet, considering you've been pounding on it for eight years."

Minako just raised her nose in the air. "That counts as training." She replied in her snobbiest voice. Rei ruined it for her by catching her ribs with an elbow. She fake pouted.

Usagi laughed again. "And done!" She declared, stretching. "Thanks, Minako. You helped me finish that conclusion."

She winked at her best friend. "No problem, Usagi. Glad I could help."

"Hey, Usagi, any idea yet how you're going to run Crystal Tokyo?" Makoto broke in, green eyes curious. "We know you will, and you'll rule it well, but exactly how are you going to do it?"

Usagi blinked her clear blue eyes at her friend. "It will be based on respect and personal choice. Everyone will have a chance to choose their own job, will be educated, and will have enough to eat and a place to live. There will be justice, and peace, and love."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "The true halcyon days, eh? But how are you going to _do_ that?"

Usagi just shrugged. "I don't know yet. Probably government sponsored scholarships and entry-level jobs to begin getting people off the streets. The funds from taxes on the now-employed people will support getting others off the street. Put money into children's shelters and such, to take strain off the medical system, probably. The real problem will be dealing with theocracies, even if they don't have that as their government technically. I guess we'll just have to see. It'll work out. Remember, we've seen Crystal Tokyo, and everyone was happy there."

Ami groaned and put her head in her hands. "Trial and error is _not_ an acceptable government style, Usagi!"

* * *

_I saw the noun entry for this and thought it was going to be impossible. I know nothing of the mythology of the kingfisher. Then I scrolled down a bit and saw the adjective option. Made everything _so_ much easier!_


	8. Rubicund

_Day 8: Rubicund_

* * *

"Hey Usagi, What were you and 'Mamo-chan' up to last night? You missed dinner, even though we had reservations. Or do we even want to know?" Usagi blushed as Minako teased her about her lack of appearance the night before.

"Minako, just leave her alone. You know she just gets rubicund and stutters. It's not like her actions are anything exciting before." Ami broke in after a few minutes, exasperated. They were always like this, but she just wasn't up to it today.

Identical blue eyes turned to her in confusion. "Rubicund?" It was a mark of their confusion that neither jinxed the other.

"Makes you become inclined to redness." The genius replied, before sighing at their still-clueless faces. "It means you blush, Usagi."

"Oh. That's not news. Hey Motoki! A milkshake, please!" The young man came over to take everyone else's order as well. After he left, Usagi and Minako chatted amicably about the escapades of someone in their class.

"Hey, Ami, why do you always use big or obscure words? You know they won't know them." Rei asked her quieter friend.

Ami smirked. "Sometimes it's just habit, but notice. They're not arguing anymore."


	9. Cosset

_Day 9: Cosset_

* * *

"Ooos a little cutie? That's right! You are! Soooo so cute!"

"What a little sweetheart. She's just perfect. Isn't she just perfect? So wonderful!"

Ami just threw her hand in the air. It had been an easy delivery, and she was feeling more out of sorts that either of the parents after it. Not that the little girl wasn't incredibly precious, she was. Most babies looked like little squashed tomatoes mixed with wizened old men. Not her.

However, listening to the new parents told her just where the child got her sugary-sweetness. "Pink Sugar Heart Attack" suddenly made horrifying sense, as Ami considered the next nine hundred years with a pre-school aged child around these two she used to consider capable monarchs.

Finally she threw her hands in the air in disgust, startling the still-ecstatic parents. "The amount you're going to cosset her, you may as well just name her Kohitsuji and be done with it! No wonder she was more than slightly spoiled when we first met her!"

* * *

_A couple of notes to make. 1: cosset, as a noun, means a pet lamb, and as a verb means to pamper, or treat as you would a pet lamb. 2: Kohitsuji is the word the online translator gave me for lamb. I have no clue if it's correct. 3: Yes, this is late, almost a half-hour into tomorrow. That's the sort of day I've been having. Would you believe it took me 75 min to get the answer to ONE question about my sister's upcoming wedding? Sheesh. She'd better like her shower gift, that's all I can say. To be fair, it's not her fault. It's just impossible for people in my family to have short conversations. Hence, this rant ;). Anyway, I hope you liked the story. I was really stuck on this for a while. Thanks for reading._


	10. Masticate

_Day 10: Masticate_

* * *

"We'll never have to clean a plate

Of veggie glops and goos.

Messily we'll masticate

Using any fork we choose!"

The class was silent, and Ami didn't think it was because of how well Minako was presenting her English assignment. No, she was sure it was because of the subject matter. She herself was totally flabbergasted.

"Good riddance to those grown up ghouls,

We're leaving! **Yukon Ho!**"

There was silence for a moment, before the whole class erupted into cheers. Mrs. Haruna shook her head, glad she'd decided to let Minako go last. Getting the kids back under control was not going to be her job. She accepted the sheet the blonde gave her, presumably containing her report on her chosen poem, with a slight smile on her lips. She had to admire the pertness of the girl before her, after all. She was only human.

"_Yukon Ho_, Minako, really? What made you pick _that_ poem?" Ami didn't know if she was more proud or resigned. It was _supposed_ to have been a serious assignment. However, the genius knew that Minako took very little seriously, and even less stayed serious after she'd been set loose on it.

Long blond hair was flipped, making quite a statement in and of itself. "She specifically said we couldn't do Dr. Seuss. Not that I have any idea who that is, but I _had _to find something just as inappropriate. It's not like I could just ignore a challenge like _that_, after all."

* * *

_Disclaimer: Yukon Ho is entirely the creation of Bill Watterson, is copyrighted, and is used without his permission. I know he didn't want to syndicate any of his stuff, so I hope he doesn't mind me using it like this. _

_However, I can't think of anything _but_ this poem when I think of the word 'masticate'. And the idea of Minako presenting this to a class was just to funny to resist._


	11. Wunderkind

_Day 11: Wunderkind_

* * *

"Guys! Guys, you _have _to check this out!" Blue eyes implored them to pay attention, and how could they resist one of their best friends?

"What is it, Minako?" Usagi, of course, was the one to ask. Azure eyes met azure in shared excitement. Cobalt, violet, and emerald looked on, amused. They knew that what was coming wasn't worth the effort the two blondes put into it.

The instigator of this trouble flipped her hair and struck a pose, making the most of her momentary spotlight. "I," She proclaimed, pausing for effect, "received an 'A'. In English."

Her friends surrounded her, covering her with praise. Drama Queen that she was, she basked in it most obviously. After a few moments, however, the enthusiasm began to pall. Usagi was still gushing. Rei had gone back to her drink, feigning boredom. Makoto was watching the blondes in amusement. Ami went back to her book.

"Aaaaaaaah-miiiiiiiii! Ami! Are you listening, Ami? Did you hear?"Suddenly she felt her arm being shaken so violently that she lost her place in her book as it tumbled from her hands. She waved her friend off and picked up the novel again, looking for her page.

"Yes, yes, I heard. A regular wunderkind, you are. You got an 'A'. On your project. Got it."

"Voon-deh-kind?" Minako asked, confused.

Rei patted the blond hair next to her. "She's being sarcastic. You know better than to mess with her reading, Minako."

"You don't need to know. In fact, you're probably better off." Makoto interjected.

Minako pouted. "But if I don't _know_, how can I refute it?"

Rei sighed and hung her head over the back of the bench. "It's from Ami. You couldn't anyway."

Usagi patted Minako's hand consolingly. "Just accept it, Minako. It only gets worse if you try to fight her."

"That's our Ami." Makoto quipped, looking fondly over at her quiet friend. "Master of the over-the-head sarcasm."

* * *

_...That's not even English, is it? I know we steal words all the time, but really? Should words that defy every pronounciation rule in the book really be called English? Anyways, I hoped you liked it. About halfway through I realized it's a sort-of sequel to the last one. _


	12. Gimcrack

_Day 12: Gimcrack_

* * *

"I _do_ like Sailor Moon, but..." The redheaded girl trailed off, shaking her head.

"But what?" Asked her plump, curly-haired friend.

"Yeah, Naru! But what?" Suddenly the first speaker was glomped by a blonde that she had been sorely missing.

"Usagi! What are you doing here?" She returned her first friend's embrace wholeheartedly. She knew why she wasn't in Usagi's closest circle any more, though neither had actually ever discussed it with the other.

The irrepressible blonde chuckled and looked around furtively. "I'm skipping out on them. I know I'll hear it from Mamo-chan and Rei tomorrow for not coming to the study session, and Ami will despair over my grades, but I don't care." Her answer made the other members of the group laugh, covering up the whisper meant for only one person. "We haven't fought in a while. Meetings are currently unnecessary and I don't think I'll be putting you in danger."

Then she cocked her head to the side and addressed the group, once again in a normal tone. "On the other hand, maybe not seeing them for a day will make them less likely to rag on my faults. Seriously, if I haven't changed from a klutz, crybaby, or rather poor student yet, it's probably not going to happen today either."

Naru joined in the laughter, incredibly cheered by the idea of Usagi being willing to risk a serious scolding for her sake. "Well, I'm glad you're here. We're going to a cafe. Want to come?"

It surprised no one that the blue eyes lit up and blonde hair whipped with the energy of its owner jumping up and down. "YES!" She crowed, obviously excited.

Green eyes sparkled as Naru laughed, tucking her friend's arm in hers and steering her in the right direction. Yumiko grinned, then resumed the earlier line of questioning. "So what was that 'but' about? You love Sailor Moon!"

Naru grinned apologetically at Usagi, nervous suddenly to state her feelings. "Well, I _do_ love her, but her new outfit... Is that even practical for fighting in? She has _three_ skirt tiers, and it's shorter than my mother will _still _let me wear! Having double-ringed gloves, managing to suggest wrist length while still being opera just seems pointless, and I'm afraid I have to say that trading the tiara for the new broach isn't something I approve of. I _liked_ the tiara attack! It was her very first one! And the broach..." She was silent for a moment, before continuing. "Item of mystical, magical power it may be, but it looks like a gimcrack. A gaudy, showy, tasteless piece of costume jewellery." She shook her head, shoulder length tresses swishing. "I just can't take Eternal Sailor Moon seriously, that's all."

She felt Usagi pull her arm out of Naru's, and sighed. First time she'd actually talked to Usagi in a while, and she'd insulted her. What a day.

Her thoughts were halted when Usagi instead flung her arm around her friend's shoulders. "I _know_!" Usagi sympathized, sounding longsuffering. "Did you know she once had to throw a pizza to substitute for the tiara? And _what_ is up with those ribbons? Are they _trying _to get her caught? Can you imagine if an enemy got a hold on her through one of them? Not to mention getting them caught in doors, bushes, benches, swings, and just tripping over them. And what's up with the wings? Her and Chibi Moon were _given_ wings, and they were proper feathered things that folded up! Those things she has don't fold, are far to big for doorways, but I can't imagine them actually being able to lift her!" She seemed deep in thought for a moment, before tuning to her friend. "I do like the broach, though."

Naru shrugged again. "To each their own. I like your broach better."

Usagi looked down at the deceptively simple broach clipped to the front of her uniform. It sprouted wings, much like she did, when she transformed. She smiled back at her friend. "I do too."

* * *

_Apologies to anyone who loves Eternal Sailor Moon, but it's my least favourite outfit. I like the original one. And I'm afraid I find the wings looking very contrived. That said, can you believe this word? That's a real word? Serious?_

_Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it._


	13. Gastronome

_Day 13: Gastronome_

* * *

"Mako, you make the _best_ food!" Amused green eyes watched as the blonde somehow managed to speak around a mouth full of cookies without wasting a crumb.

"Hunh." Interjected Rei with a flick of her raven hair. "If it's edible, you'll eat it Odango. It doesn't take much to be better than what you make. Besides, didn't you say that to your mother just this morning, too?"

Mako turned to Rei, brown ponytail swishing. "A gastronome she may not be, but it's still nice of her. And I don't mind sharing the 'best cook' title with her mother. Have you ever had dinner there?"

Violet eyes sparkled with amusement as the miko nodded once, conceding the point. "True. Makes you wonder why Usagi didn't get any kitchen skills, eh? Especially since ChibiUsa, who is her kid _and_ raised as a princess, is so much better."

"Rei! Why do you have to be so _meeeeeeeean?_"

* * *

_For some reason this word makes me think of metronome, that musical timekeeper. For those that don't know, a gastronome is a 'connoisseur of good food and drink'. Should I include the definition in the top part normally? I think the definition usually comes through in the story, but sometimes it wont be very obvious._

_Thanks for reading!_


	14. Confute

_Day 14: Confute_

* * *

"Hahahahahha! I see you now, Sailor Moon! Prepare to die!" The Senshi had just completed their training, and were still in their transformed states when they turned to see who was attacking them this time. They had just defeated Queen Badaine, so were wondering who was challenging them now.

They all stared in shock at the sudden appearance of Queen Beryl and her generals. "Uhhh..." Came the only sound Mercury could make, after attempting to actually use her dropped jaw for something.

"Chibi Moon, who is this?" Saturn whispered to her best friend, who also looked on in shock.

"I haven't a clue." The pink-haired girl replied, looking dubiously at their 'new' enemies.

Suddenly a blistering oath split the air, sufficiently sulphurous to make even the Dark Kingdom's minions blanch. "Where the hell did you get a time key? Give me that!" Eyes flashing furiously, Pluto strode forward to snatch the key Jadite was toying with out of his hands.

"A time key?" Zoicyte looked at Kunzite in confusion. "Do you think that's why her 'eternal sleep' spell transported us here?"

The pale-haired man shrugged, completely out of his element with how magical items interacted with brand-new spells.

"It matters not!" The only red-head of the group proclaimed. "You," She gestured to her servants, "Will handle them," this time pointing at all nine of the Senshi, "While I destroy their leader and Tuxedo Kamen!"

At this point the masked superhero threw his hands in the air and started muttering viciously about always being the target of the villain and couldn't evil get lucky once without trying for either him or his girlfriend.

The Senshi, however, were eyeing the different generals like pieces of meat. Chibi Moon and Saturn had actually started a rock-paper-scissors war to see who got the one in the cloak, since he was likely the most important.

"Wait, wait, wait, this is the before-Jadite-dies powered Dark Kingdom? Like, before they manage to wake Metalia?" Sailor Moon broke in, wanting to make sure she had this correct. Mercury whipped out her computer to make sure, then grinned.

"Oh yes. This is them exactly, our first enemies."

"First? First? We are the only ones that matter, as we shall destroy you and take over your world! None can stand before the power of the Dark Kingdom!" Beryl laughed at this comment, but Sailor Moon just got annoyed.

"Now see here, you brainless barbie wannabe! I have several compelling reasons to confute your idea as to how this is going to go down. One: We managed to defeat you three yeas ago once already, and that was _after_ you'd woken Metalia. Two: We didn't even know there _were_ outers when we did it. Three: We also have three complete weapons of massive power integrated with our pure heart crystals and powered by our dream mirrors that we didn't have last you knew. Four: All of the outers have butt-kicking weapons too! Five: My inners have discovered new levels of power twice each since then, along with the attacks to go with the powers. Six: I am SUPER SAILOR MOON, not the one you're used to. I've upgraded four times. Seven:..."

"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" Sailor Moon was cut off by her daughter's voice as an attack whizzed by her and struck the five opponents head on, distracted as they were by the argument. The form of Pegasus briefly appeared, taking with him the bodies of their foes.

"Sailor Chibi Moon! I gave you part of my snack yesterday! You could at least have saved me _one_ enemy!"

The pink-haired youngster just shrugged. "I was sick of listening to Sailor Moon. She didn't sound like she was going to stop any time soon. And she can't pull rank on _me_, I'm a princess too."

Saturn cocked her head to the side, thoughtful. "Alright." She conceded. "But next time let me have one. Else you owe me a cookie."

"Deal."

* * *

_I am soooo sorry I missed yesterday! However, I think I've spent a grant total of three hours awake at home in the last two days. I'll have today's out soon too._


	15. Demagogue

_Day 15: Demagogue_

* * *

"Gyah! Stupid essay! Why do I have to study tactics anyway?" ChibiUsa grouched to her best friend, Hotaru.

The older girl smiled at her princess. "Didn't Ami explain that to you?" She asked, referring to their currently-absent tutor.

Cinnamon eyes rolled at the reminder of that lecture. "She went _on_ and _on_ about how tactics, and later politics, would make me a better leader, both of my Senshi team and of the world. I stopped listening after a little while." She had the grace to blush lightly at this last admission, and her friend smiled at her.

"Hmmm." Plum coloured eyes were thoughtful as their owner considered her friend. "Okay, let's try this. What do you think of Usagi's ability to plan?"

A snort was her only answer, but it was enough. "What about chaos'?"

A finger twined distractedly through bubblegum pink hair. "Well... It's always the same, enemy after enemy. They follow the same plan, react the same way to setbacks, that sort of thing."

"Exactly." Pure black hair swished across her shoulders as she nodded decisively. "As much as I love my Queen, we would be sunk if they hadn't allowed her time to get used to the new powers every time. However, chaos is incapable of understanding that. Because chaos isn't a person and doesn't understand people. All chaos can ever be is a demagogue, someone who leads by appealing to emotions and prejudices. There are only so many emotions that will work with chaos' plan, so it always ends up being the same thing.

"You learn tactics and politics so that you can change your approach to something appropriate for whatever it is you're doing, as opposed to just ramming your plans through. Do you get it now?" Hotaru cocked her head to the side at the end of her little spiel, waiting patiently for her friend's answer.

She didn't have to wait long, as the younger girl threw herself onto her bed with a huff. "That still doesn't mean I have to like essays."


	16. Chortle

_Day 16: Chortle_

* * *

"My resolution is to get into my top choice University."

"Boooo-ring!" Minako groaned, banging her head lightly on the table in emphasis. "Like you really need to _resolve_ to do that, Ami."

"Mine is to finally master the souffle. I can't get it to puff properly and stay that way." Makoto broke in, hoping to distract her blonde friend.

"Oh, Mako, you always make the best food! You're amazing like that." Green eyes met cerulean in a conspiratorial glance. "However, should you need help dealing with any apparently-not-quite-perfect trials..."

Makoto laughed heartily. "Now I understand, Usagi! You're just after my food!"

"But of course!" The girl replied, fluttering her eyelashes. "Anyway, my resolution is to not have to take any make-up tests this year." That was met with surprised exclamations from the other girls, most of whom had been trying to get her to think like that for years.

"Mine is to be less sarcastic. You guys know I don't really mean it, but I managed to actually hurt Yuichiro's feelings the other day by accident." Rei chimed in, knowing she was going to be asked soon enough.

Minako sighed dreamily. "Since I'm working with the police again, I plan on capturing some handsome rogue and redeeming him. Then we'll fall in love and everything will be wonderful."

Everyone jumped as Usagi's hand slammed into the table top. "Mamo-chan is _my _sexy thief!" She hissed.

A weird sound came from Rei, who had just taken a drink of her tea when Usagi spoke. Minako was looking at Usagi in shock, and the latter blonde was glaring at her. Makoto leaned over to Ami. "Is that a chortle or is she choking?"

* * *

_Got the idea for this from a fake facebook conversation that was the girls talking about Tangled. You can find it on sailorfailure's tumblr, if you're really interested._


	17. Puckish

_Day 17: Puckish_

* * *

"So you see, we're all alike on the inside. We have our friends, our hobbies, our music. Me and my friends are just like you and yours. Just, y'know, prettier."

* * *

Makoto raised a brow at the sight of Minako being chased by what looked like a herd of rabid cheerleaders. "It's a good thing she's late so often. They haven't a chance of catching her."

Ami just shook her head, not surprised by her friend's escapade. "I almost wish we had a new enemy. Minkao's puckish mouth is going to get her in a lot of trouble eventually."

"She just tripped." Usagi pointed out drily. "I think 'eventually' is going to happen pretty quickly."

* * *

_This wasn't going anywhere. I honestly don't know why this word was giving me such trouble. Finally I decided there needed to be a second theme, to maybe kickstart my imagination. It ended up being 'Only Prettier' by Miranda Lambert._


	18. Fanfaronade

_Day 18: Fanfaronade_

* * *

The Senshi stared at the monster facing them in horrified confusion. It appeared to be a giant, spiked, winged, whip-cracking, sword-wielding, ram-horned stuffed animal. And it was on fire.

It was also speaking.

"Men, elves, and dwarves flee before me! I am pain and fear incarnate! None may challenge me! I am of the great Maiar race, the greatest threat in Morgoth's forces!"

"How dare you subvert a child's greatest confidant, that of the stuffed toy, to evil! I am the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon, and in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!" So was their leader. The posturing always took forever in these fights. Venus considered pulling off her gloves to check her new manicure. Jupiter and Mars were whispering to each other behind their hands.

"Where's Mercury? Why isn't she here yet? She's usually so prompt?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the one that goes to school with her!"

Their conversation was interrupted by a new voice. "Using toys to cause harm is vile! This will not be tolerated! Attack, Sailor Moon!"

Venus rolled her eyes before raising her hand to her lips. She appreciated good theatre more than the others, but this was anything but.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Suddenly the monster was frozen in place. The missing scout strolled in, munching on a popsicle. She raised an eyebrow at her friends, all of whom were looking at her like she'd grown a spare head. "What? I was sick of the fanfaronade. Now hurry up and purify this thing, Sailor Moon. I'm not giving you your treat until after, and it'll start to melt soon."

Sailor Moon blinked, then turned back to the monster. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" She screamed, quickly doing the accompanying baton routine.

Mercury blinked at the article left over after the daimon egg was exorcised. "We were fighting a stuffed Balrog? That's why I had to skip cram school? Seriously, these eggs are such a pain."

* * *

_...I'm not even sure where that came from. But the mental image is priceless._


	19. Ersatz

_Day 19: Ersatz_

* * *

"This isn't my car." Haruka turned to Michiru, looking betrayed. "Where did my car go?"

The other woman ran her hand through her blue-green hair in an attempt to distract her lover. It didn't work. "I traded it in for this."

The androgynous blonde glared at the vehicle before her. "It's a hatchback. And it has a full roof."

Michiru glared at her long-time partner. "Yes. We have Hotaru now, not to mention Setsuna. We needed a bigger vehicle, and preferably one that would make you drive like a responsible adult."

She couldn't refute that logic, but Haruka struggled to find a reason to get her old car back anyway. "But I even _named_ it! It was my baby!" She finally whined.

One blue eyebrow raised menacingly. "Hotaru's your baby now. And you can give this car a name if you really want."

Haruka's shoulders slumped. She knew when she was defeated. However, that didn't make her accept it any more gracefully. "Alright." She said to the car, putting her hand on it gingerly, as if afraid it's uncool would rub off on her. "I guess you're part of the family now, Ersatz."

* * *

_Ersatz: Being a substitute or imitation, usually inferior one._

_Hope you liked the outers appearing, and that you enjoyed the story._


	20. Epicene

_Day 20: Epicene_

* * *

"Urgh, I am so sick of vocabulary!" Minako declared, throwing her hands in the air.

"Ditto." Usagi moaned form where her face was pillowed on the table. Her hair was falling out of its trademark buns, courtesy of the normally cheerful blonde actually pulling it in frustration before resorting to banging her head on the table.

Rei continued doing her own math homework, ignoring the so-called 'plight' of her friends. Makoto was a little more sympathetic. "It helps if you come up with a sentence for them. Then it's not just straight memorization." She responded, encouraging her friends. "Or if you attribute the word to someone. Like this one. I remember it because it describes Haruka."

Four heads craned over the paper, including the still-silent Ami. Rei continued doing her math. After a moment (she was reading upside-down), Ami shook her head. "That's not quite right, Mako. Haruka's androgynous, not epicene."

"Andro-whatsis?" Minako asked, furrowing her brow.

"Androgynous. It means that it's sometimes hard to tell her gender since she displays traits found in both men and women. Both her facial and body lines are appropriate for either sex, for example." She clarified, twining her blue hair around a finger.

"How is that different from the definition we have here of epicene?" Usagi queried, confused.

"It doesn't." Ami replied, deepening the confusion. "That's because the sheet only gives one of the definitions, simplifying the word to the point where it would be hard to use properly. Why do you think I encourage you to look them up in a real dictionary?"

"Okay, so what does it really mean?" Rei asked, giving up on her math for the moment.

"Epicene means it's hard to determine the gender of the item in question due to a lack of gender-specific traits." Was the response. This didn't dispel anyone's confusion.

Green eyes glared lightly at the person muddying these waters. "I'd like a better description than that, Ami."

A finger tapped pursed lips, then pulled away to snap victoriously. "I've got it! We'll continue to use Haruka as an example, as we're all familiar with her and her habits. She acts and looks both male and female at times, correct?" Her friends nodded with varying amounts of interest. "That's androgynous. Now, consider Metallia. Did Metallia have a gender?"

Now it was Usagi's turn to look thoughtful, having had the most experience with the creature. "Well, no. Not really. I mean, she was called 'Queen', but she didn't really have a form or voice of her own. From my experience, telekinetic voices tend to sound like what you expect them to sound like. If you know who's speaking, like them, but otherwise in a voice similar to your own. Do you think that's why Beryl called her 'Queen'?"

Ami shrugged. "A question for another day. My point is, 'she' acted neither male or female. Confusion over gender wasn't mixed signals, it was a complete lack of signals at all. That makes 'her' a neuter, or epicene. Understand now?"

Her friends all nodded. Rei finally broke the silence. "Now, do you think you can learn vocab without any more lectures, or should I take my math to the next room?"

* * *

_I read the entry for this and thought 'How is that not the same as androgynous?', which I already knew. Then I looked into it a little more and my incredulous thoughts turned to 'How in the world am I supposed to use the word 'neuter' in a SM story?'. I hope you liked it._

_Side note: Whoot! Twenty days! Go me!_


	21. Prolix

_Day 21: Prolix_

* * *

"Ami, you are so dull sometimes. You are one of my best friends, and I love you, but I can't even enjoy my drink with you yammering like that." Sky blue eyes glared daggers at deeper cobalt ones. The latter girl just shrugged and tucked one escaped blue curl back behind her ears.

"Well, as the person most in charge of the welfare of our monarchs, I thought you should know about my new idea."

"Ami, wonderful as your idea is, are you sure the right place to discuss it is at the club after we've just finished our last university exams ever?" Brown curls bounced as their owner shook her head in exasperation. "I'm with Minako. Call a meeting for tomorrow or something." She toyed with her newly delivered drink, having seemingly forgotten it was even there.

"Sorry Ami, but I don't think you'll be able to make them see sense right now. It's probably best to leave it for tomorrow anyway." Amused violet eyes rested briefly on the genius before moving to the yet-to-speak odango'd blonde next to her. "Don't you get on her case too. Let's go dance, Odango Atama."

Their blonde leader perked up at this, and excitedly grabbed her look-alike to drag up on the floor as well. The human chain extended to include Makoto, but Ami was able to avoid it as her friends plied onto the floor, followed closely by Haruka and Michiru, as their favourite song had just started.

Raising her eyebrows, Ami turned to the last member of the group, a tall, quiet, reserved lady with long greenish-black hair. Setsuna just smirked back at her. "I knew you were going to scare them off, and had a word with the DJ just now. You're not getting rid of me. Cronus only knows what you'll get up to if you down all eight drinks before the song's over."

Ami laughed, her head thrown back in abandonment. "My thanks." She pushed Rei's bottlecap over to her companion while raising Usagi's screwdriver in salute.

Setsuna smiled her secretive grin. "To prolix, and getting four drinks for the price of one."

Ami smirked back at her. "Maybe for you. I ordered a water."

* * *

_Prolix: Extending to great length; unnecessarily long; wordy._

_I wasn't confident in my ability to use it in a sentence from what was given for examples. Instead, you get it like this._


	22. Aver

_Day 22: Aver_

* * *

"What's eating Minako?" Rei muttered, glaring at the blonde in question, who was banging on the Sailor V game hard enough that Motoki actually came over and asked her to be nice.

"I don't know. She just seems so... angry, lately." Replied Makoto, worry for her friend clear in her green eyes.

"Do you know how many boys she's dated in the last month?" Usagi asked, sounding unconcerned.

"Six." Ami replied, somehow managing to startle her friends with her knowledge even though they _knew_ she would know. "Why is that important, Usagi?"

The girl raised one slender finger. "One: She missed their first date due to a daimon. Two: Couldn't stand that she's better than him at video games. Three: Tried to move _way_ too fast. Is still in the hospital." Two more fingers had joined the first ones. She kept going. "Four: Told her she was 'more like a sister'. Five: Ditched her for another girl. Six: Told her earlier today that there was no hope for them, since she was alternately either childlike or far to serious."

The other three girls looked at each other. "That's a lot." Ami finally broke in. "A lot of boys and a lot of hurt. Especially since she will always aver that she doesn't need a man."

Usagi just shrugged, and they could tell from the look in her eyes that she was speaking as their princess, Serenity, not as their friend Usagi. "She doesn't need a man. She's just looking for something in them that a high school boy can't give her."

"And what's that?" Rei asked, eyeing her liege with the respect she saved for this aspect of her best friend.

"A partner. Companionship. That sort of thing." Hands that were no longer in use counting off mistakes waved airily, as if that would explain everything that she wasn't saying.

"How come she's the only one in that boat, then? You're the only one of us with a boyfriend at all." Makoto asked, eyes alight with curiosity.

"It's that she's our leader, isn't it?" Ami asked, proving once again why she was the brains of the group. "We can whine and snivel to each other when we feel overworked or under-appreciated, but she can't. She has to stay strong."

Usagi nodded, causing Rei to let loose a low whistle. "So, what do we do about it then?"

The blonde propped her face up with her hands and glared lightly at her best friend. "You have each other. I have Mamo-chan, and he has me. Haruka and Michiru have each other. Chibiusa and Hotaru confide in each other. _We_ do nothing."

"Ah." Ami replied, packing up her stuff. "I take it Setsuna's on the was, then?"

* * *

_A little more serious. I had a couple of little hooks for this that may have helped it, but DST has killed them. Tomorrow I plan on not being awake for the first half of my shift, I can tell you that. Fully awake, that is. I'll still be there *groan*_


	23. Pusillanimous

_Day 23: Pusillanimous_

* * *

Usagi crossed her arms and glared at her friends and guardians. Her voice, when she spoke, put Mercury's ice attacks to shame.

"No."

Ami threw her hands in the air, sick of this argument. "Stars' sakes, Usagi! You've faced down various incarnations of chaos, jumped into alternate dimensions, thrown yourself off a building, stood up to a sword with only a locket, and chased through a cloud of pain after a crazy girl with a weapon! Why is it that all it takes for you to turn into a pusillanimous little baby is to hear the word 'dentist'?"

* * *

_True drabble! Go me!_

_... I really actually want to use this word now. It's rather fun to both say and look at._


	24. Blandishment

_Day 24: Blandishment_

* * *

"So what were the blandishments today?" Venus lay sprawled on the floor, her feet up in Jupiter's lap. The auburn-haired guardian had lost a bet, and we repaying it with a foot massage.

"Beauty, brains, brawn, or benevolence?" Inquired the newly-made Queen from her position in her husbands lap. He was running his hands through her long hair and indulging in all the little displays of affection that two young monarchs couldn't get away with.

"How about beliefs? Have they tried that with you yet?" That was the raven-haired mistress of fire, from her spot in front of the fireplace. Even now, in Crystal Tokyo, she found nothing so relaxing as watching flames.

"Try all of it." Blue-haired Mercury replied, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "I'm seriously getting sick of this."

"Are you sure you're not just holding a grudge?" Mamoru asked, grinning wickedly.

Mercury glared at him. "Even if they _weren't_ part of the group that made elementary school one long, bad memory, it wouldn't matter. _Nobody_ gets to play with my computer but _me!_"

* * *

_Sorry about the wait. Yesterday and today have been those sort of days when it takes me a half hour to do a five minute task. And my sister shares the blame. If she hadn't goten sick, I wouldn't have gone to go cheer her up. And ended up sleeping over. Bah, now I'm just making excuses. Today's will be up soon too, promise._


	25. Apposite

_Day 25: Apposite_

* * *

"So now that we've defeated those brats from Nemesis, what are we doing about them? I mean, I know we're confining them rather more permanently to that rock, but beyond that? They really do deserve worse." To those who didn't know Mars, the question may have seemed merely inquiring. Her fellow senshi, however, knew better.

"Ah, now, Jupiter and I have been planning this since we were in high school. Trust me, they are well punished for their actions." Venus' eyes were alight with an almost unholy glee. Mercury had to suppress the shivers that the look sent down her spine.

"You know that none of this gets back to the queen, right?" Jupiter looked very much like the cat that got the canary. Her partners nodded, curious as to what these two had come up with.

"For the four sisters," Intoned Venus solemnly, "They are confined together, with constant music. However, only one person can decide on the music at a time. The same goes for the closet, thermometer, and room decor. Plus they share a bed."

"Rubeus," Continued Jupiter, equally as somber, "Got a room entirely decorated in the warm colours. Red, orange, yellow, and all the shades between. It's also kept a little warmer than normal. Not enough to cause him to become sick or dehydrated, but just enough that he'll always be quite warm."

"Emerald's room is entirely encased in fun-house mirrors."

"Sapphire's room is a shrine to all of his and his brother's boneheaded moves."

"And Diamond," At this they couldn't keep their sober demeanours, and matching Cheshire grins spread across their faces. "Has a shrine dedicated to the love between our _dear_ royals, right from that first test to the head."

Mercury blinked, shocked at the punishments her friends had devised. "Well, those are certainly apposite punishments."

* * *

_I'm sure I can't be the only one who keeps looking for a chance to nerd it up by slipping these into a sentence sometime. Oh, and this story is dedicated to all of us who don't forgive quite as easily as Usagi does. That girl is a wonder._


	26. Quaff

_Day 26: Quaff_

* * *

"Usagi, are you sure you should be throwing those back so quickly? I mean, I think that would nauseate me." Teal eyes rested in concern on her friend.

The blonde in question finished quaffing her third speciality milkshake before grinning at her childhood companion. "It's fine. I know. I asked for this specifically."

Naru just shook her head a grinned. "A Queen you may be now, but you're still just Usagi on the inside."

"You better count on it!" Ponytails whipped with the fervent head nodding.

The redhead just laughed, enjoying her precious time with her friend. "I still don't know what you're doing here. Don't you have ambassadors meeting with you today?"

A conspiratorial gleam came into clear blue eyes as she leaned back over the booth edge. Both hand dropped to rest on her protruding stomach. "Mamo-chan's telling them I've got bad morning sickness. After I told him I'd tear someone's head off if I didn't get some downtime."

Lips curled in an amused grin. "Sounds like something you'd say. Still, do you have to have pickle and grilled chicken milkshakes? That's just nasty."

"Motoki knows better than to say 'no' to me."

* * *

_My family's in town this weekend, so I may not get anything done on this. However, expect them all on monday unless I manage to get them out sooner._


	27. Truckle

_Day 27: Truckle_

* * *

"I do not truckle to your demands any more than I do anyone else's, Prince Diamond. Should you not be able to live by my rules, you are free to live outside of them. Consider yourself banished, until such time as you choose to formally submit yourself to the rule of myself and my husband. You may go." With that she stood and left the audience chamber. Her guardians were waiting for her just outside.

"How did it go?" Demanded Mars, grabbing her friend and ruler's arm.

"Shall I kill him for you now, and save us all the hassle?" That was bold Jupiter, cracking her knuckles. She hadn't appreciated the lavicious looks the white-haired man had been shooting her charge. That was actually the main reason for King Endymion to have not been present. Everyone was afraid he would do something very Mamoru-like, and blood is so hard to get out of clothes.

Usagi, for it was not Serenity who met their eyes with amusement, shook her head. "Remember the last time we ticked off Pluto? No, this is something that needs to happen, no matter how little I want it to." With that she breezed past them.

"Your Majesty, wait." That was Mercury's voice, sounding authoritative. "You still have more petitioners to see."

"Find Mamo-chan. It's his turn. _I _am going to change out of this dratted thing and go play jump-rope with my daughter. She won't be five forever, you know."

"Ooh, I'll take one end of the rope!" Volunteered Venus, raising her hand in the air in excitement.

Mars and Mercury watched the two blondes leave, shaking their heads. "You'd think having a 900 year old preschooler would be enough. It's more than most parents can stand. Do you want to take upstairs or down looking for the King?"

"No point. We may as well just cancel the petitions. As soon as he hears what his wife's up to, he'll be back in that horrid jogging shirt before you know it."

Mercury shuddered. "I thought you were going to burn that."

Mars just looked sour. "Apparently it's worth using to golden crystal to preserve. That and the green jacket."


	28. Interregnum

_Day 28: Interregnum_

* * *

"Nuclear weapons! Global warming! Endangered and extinct animals! _Unions_, for Selene's sake!" The new queen threw her hands in the air, storming around her private chambers. Her best friends watched her tantrum, sympathizing silently with her. "Not that unions aren't a good idea, they are, but _why_ in the name of _all_ that is good do they _all_ have to bring their complaints to _me_?"

"It can't be helped, sweetheart. A lot of stuff has occurred in the interregnum since our families last held their respective thrones." Her husband had moved to wrap his arms around her, still sweaty from sprinting up and down all the stairs in the tower in an attempt to relieve his own frustration at how the day's meeting had gone.

Neo-Queen Serenity, Saviour of the Earth, Eternal Sailor Moon, and woman quickly becoming known throughout the world for her sweet temper and kind words, ripped herself out of her husbands arms and spun on him, eyes flashing. "You," She hissed, poking his chest hard with a delicate finger, "Need to just _let me be mad!_ Unless, of course, you _want _to be singing soprano!"

Neo-King Endymion, who was capable of facing down youma, kidnappers, and even the end of the world without turning a hair, blanched. "I... Uhhh... I'll just be in the shower."

Mercury blinked, looking in fascination at the door he must have left by. "I didn't know he could teleport."


	29. Largess

_Day 29: Largess_

* * *

"And that's how the quadratic works. Think you've got it this time?"

"I dunno, Ami. If I'm still having trouble, I'll just come ask again, though."

"Of course, Usagi. After all, what are friend for but explaining the quadratic ten times an hour?"

"You're such a great friend!"

The group's acknowledged genius rolled her eyes, the expression lost on the ponytailed blonde she'd been helping. Cinnamon eyes looked on in amusement, before their owner leaned in conspiratorially. "I think she's missing the sarcasm in your largess."

Ami glared at the older woman, gaze turning even icier when she noticed the amusement hidden in that wise gaze. "Thank you _ever so much_ for telling me that." She ground out.

"Not a problem." Setsuna replied, looking unconcernedly out the window.

Ami laughed. "I deserved that one, didn't I?"

The older woman just shrugged. "At least you knew it."


	30. Prescience

_Day 30: Prescience_

* * *

"Three, two, one, and go."

"BAKA! Why do you have to be such a jerk?"

"QUIET DOWN, Odango! I'd like to keep my hearing, thank you very much!"

The newest addition to the spectators glanced over at the older, blonde male, admiration in her jade green eyes. "How did you know that? The timing was perfect!"

The blue-haired girl with them snorted lightly, never looking up from her book. "Motoki doesn't need prescience to know that, Makoto. He's been listening to them longer than anyone else."

"I know." Piped in Rei, placing her hand on the arcade worker's arm. "I feel sorry for you, man."

* * *

_To whomever figured out the bypass for the broken bit, THANK YOU! Seriously, not being able to post was ticking me off! Anyway, to all my readers, I'm soooooo sorry I haven't been able to get anything up recently. I only just became aware of the fix for the error. Everything from the rest of the last week will be up by the end of the day._


	31. Fugacious

_Day 31: Fugacious_

* * *

"He was just soooo cute! He smiled at me, and then he..."

_Slam!_

Blue eyes met blue in confusion, the blonde not being used to being cut off so violently by her normally-quiet friend.

Ami drew in a deep breath, frighting to keep her tone even. "Minako, you are one of my best friends, but that does _not_ mean I have time to hear about latest love interest. Should your expectedly-fugacious crush last till the weekend, you can tell me all about him then. If not, you can tell me about your new crush. However, for now, I am going to finish this biology report. Leave or shut up."


	32. Eschew

_Day 32: Eschew_

* * *

"Did you _see_ what she did today? Seriously, that girl is sharper than a razor! I wish I was allowed to put uppity politicians in their place like she does!" Long blonde hair trailed over the edge of the bed that Neo-Queen Serenity was sprawled over, wearing her favourite nightgown with her buns pulled out.

"I don't think you could, Usako. I honestly believe that girl is sharper than both of us combined. She'll make a wonderful Queen when the time comes to pass the title on." His hands, which had been occupied trailing through her hair, were slapped away lightly as she sat up, eyes hard.

"I will reign as long as it is possible for me to do so. The Silver Crystal will aid me in this. My wish, currently, is that our Chibiusa will be free to be herself as long as I can make it so. It will stay that way for as long as I can wish that." She resisted slightly as her beloved husband wound his arms around her, but melted into his touch as he whispered huskily in her ear.

"You misunderstand, beloved. I don't want her to be fettered like we are, having to publicly eschew her behaviour earlier. I'm just so, _so_ proud of the child we have created and raised. It's normal for me to think she'll be a wonderful ruler. It's true. That doesn't mean I _want _her to be. She's Lady Serenity to everyone else, Usagi to the Senshi, both hers and yours, but as far as I'm concerned, she will always be our little Chibiusa to us."

She smiled sweetly at her lover, obviously revelling in his words. "Our uppity, troublemaking, smart-mouthed, quick-witted, kindhearted Chibiusa. The one I'm mentally cheering for as she throws those verbal eggs at the people we have to deal with."

"I'm cheering for her." Mamoru informed her, sounding serious even though his eyes were twinkling. "And I know you are too. I can see your lips twitch, even down in the meetings."

"How well you know me." She purred, looking up at him.

"After two lives and a few millennium?" He shrugged. "I think I'm doing as well as a guy ever _could_ at understanding his wife."


	33. Kismet

_Day 33: Kismet_

* * *

"So it's tomorrow?" Worried cobalt eyes met guarded cornflower ones, and they shared a moment of that silent communication that was all they really needed, having been married for almost a millennium.

"Yes." He replied, despite the redundancy of his confirmation.

She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. He ached to hold her, soothe her, but he knew she wouldn't let him. Not right now. Not with this before them.

"It's times like these when I would cheerfully banish all foreknowledge to the deepest pits of the blackest abyss in the galaxy."

Her voice barely reached him, but the pain in it caused his heart to clench. However, he knew what he had to say. "That's not fair. Pluto deserves far better than to spend eternity in Beryl's heart."

The blonde was struck quite speechless for a moment before hysterical laughter bubbled up out of her and she threw herself into her partners arms. Her almost eerie laughter quickly gave way to sobs, and he just held her as she let her fear out.

"It's okay, Usako. Sailor Moon is invincible. Our past selves will win, and our daughter will be returned to us safely."

"What if something happens? What if we fail this time? What if something happens to her? To our precious, beloved Small Lady?" She was still crying. Mamoru didn't have to look to know. Something like this would never leave Usagi untouched. That was part of what he loved so much about her.

"Listen, we found each other again after a thousand years. That was fate, given by your mothers final wish. We triumphed over everything that sought to stand in our way. That was hitsuzen. We married, became royalty, and had our precious daughter. Kismet. Now we need to let her discover her own destiny. It may be hard on both her and us, but we owe it to her to let her discover what she _can_ do, after spending so long locked in her fears and child's body."

A soft fist thumped into his chest. "Why do you always have to be so _right_?" She groused.


	34. Bumptious

_Day 34: Bumptious_

* * *

"This can easily be handled by..."

"Don't even say it!" Blazing violet eyes met startled azure, as the irate priestess glared at her best friend. "'Sailor Moon can do this, Sailor Moon can do that', it's practically all we ever hear from you!"

"Uh hunh." Agreed a fervently bobbing auburn head. Green eyes crinkled apologetically, but she continued on anyway. "You're always talking about what 'she' can do. It's quite a pain."

"You have gotten rather bumptious." A hand tucked a strand of blue hair behind an ear nervously. She knew her friend didn't always take criticism well.

The last member of the group placed her hands on her hips menacingly. Her long blonde hair seemed to billow, surrounding her in a golden halo."You are _not_ transforming near my _car!_"

The odango'd blonde huffed and crossed her arms, glaring back at her friends. "_Where_ did you get the idea that the Silver Crystal fixes tires? I _was_ going to say we call Mamo-chan! Seriously, it's a star seed, not a parlour trick!"

* * *

_My favourite from this whole set. _


	35. Versimilitude

_Day 35: Versimilitude_

* * *

"How can she seriously not see it?" The raven-haired guardian stared at her charge in almost awed annoyance.

"He's being pretty obvious..." Green eyes were both amused and horrified by what was playing out beyond the illusion shield Mercury had created for them.

Their leader shook her head, golden hair flowing all around them. Mars batted at it in annoyance. "It's so hard to watch this!" Venus moaned. "On one hand, you want to hope Seiya gets through to her and she realizes he loves her. On the other hand, she's happily married and he's messing with our futures!"

Mercury snorted, and everyone turned to where the Queen's final guard was turning the page of her book, not even looking up at the tableau before them. "Aknowledging she knows him feelings would cause trouble, and Usagi knows that. All of _that_," She gestured at the would-be romantic scene before them, "Is just proof that she's better at her 'uncomprehending' verisimilitude than he is at his 'just friends' one."


	36. Equivocate

_Day 36: Equivocate_

* * *

"...And so,I understand that you appear to be presenting that this treaty may be of benefit to our two peoples. Should the details of this treaty be presented to the right councils, and they find themselves in agreement, it is possible that this issue may be brought before their majesties. I am willing to present this idea in the manner it deserves to the appropriate personages to handle it." With that Mars held out her hand, accepting the paper given to her by the glassy-eyed diplomat, who had apparently stopped listening to her quite some time ago.

She then turned on her heel and left, almost impolite in her speed.

"Wow, I'm so glad I got that other one. Sorry, girl, I didn't think it was going to be that bad." Venus clapped a hand on her friend's shoulder in a show of support. None of them had known what the meetings they were going to be having would be like. Rei had ended up casting lots for them, giving each meeting to the person most able to handle it.

It appeared she'd gotten the short straw herself. All the meetings had been dull and long, but Mars' was obviously the worst, as proven by the fact that it had lasted the longest, if nothing else. The speaker had been trying to get her to agree to the contract without fully reading it. Not that she needed to. She had known from the moment her eyes fell on the paper that it was a bad idea.

That was why she grinned at her friends now, despite her aggravation. "I probably needed to be there to get angry enough to do this." With that she threw the paper in the air and lit it spectacularly on fire. The entire thing appeared to combust all at once.

"That's a little harsh, don't you think? Aren't you supposed to show that to their Majesties?" Jupiter replied, coughing slightly and fanning the ashes drifting towards her away.

Mercury just shrugged, looking very unsurprised. "She equivocates like a pro. She actually only promised to present the paper to those 'in the right councils'. That would be us." She studied the eddying flakes before causing them to fall to the floor in a puddle. "I don't think it got approved."


	37. Afflatus

_Day 37: Afflatus_

* * *

"To what afflatus do we owe this summoning?" Neptune asked her adopted daughter, a slight frown creasing her brow. The young girl had woken them shortly before dawn and drug all the outers to this remote location.

"You won't need that sword, Uranus." Came Pluto's slightly husky voice. She was staring off to the east, seemingly entranced. The Soldier of the Wind just growled slightly, not putting away her most powerful weapon.

"She's right." That was from the youngest member of the group, looking at her parents with all the wisdom in the world in her lavender eyes. She went over to the oldest, and handed the viridian-haired woman her glaive. While The other two watched in surprise, she then removed her boots and casually sat herself down on the roof of the skyscraper they were illegally standing on.

"It's nothing dangerous." The girl continued, looking more like Hotaru than Saturn by the moment, though she was still in her uniform. She accepted her glaive back from the older woman as she took a seat as well. "It's just that this is going to be the most beautiful sunrise in the whole year, and i didn't want you to miss it. We did need the Senshi powers to get up this high, though."


	38. Bedaub

_Day 38: Bedaub_

_Rating: K+ for theme and slight innuendo_

* * *

"And what did you do to Mommy's dress, sweetums? Did you decide to make it more colourful?" Neo-Queen Serenity, dressed in only her royal undergarments and her husbands favourite plush robe, was looking at what her toddler had managed to do to her official Dress of State, and trying not to laugh.

The dress was a mess. There were splashes and stripes in all sorts of colours all over the white satin. The gold stitching around the top had apparently been completely unpicked thanks to the one loose thread she'd been planning on getting fixed. There were feathers, presumably cannibalized from the ripped open pillow in the corner, attached to the wing-bow in the back. As well, all the little gold baubles had been either ripped off and replaced with childish gewgaws or coloured in. All in all, it was a rather impressive eyesore.

"Well well well." A husky male voice broke her reverie, arms sliding around to hold her. She could feel his smile in the curve of his lips as he kissed the back of her neck slightly. Both the parents stared at their offspring in horrified wonder. "What has our little treasure ("Terror" Usagi muttered, trying to stifle her giggles) done? And exactly what did she use to bedaub your gown so?"

"Nai powish!" Came the sweet voice of their beaming two-year old. "Mommy dress! Powish! Cowor!"

Both were shaking lightly now, knowing they shouldn't encourage destructive behaviour, eve if it was with the kindest intentions. "I've got to meet that diplomat, so she's yours this time." The blonde murmured, turning her head to kiss her husband lightly.

"Your dress is wrecked." The raven-haired man replied, looking at said article.

"Like you can talk about fashion!" His wife scoffed. She pulled a pen out (from where? He never asked. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know) and held it above her. "Moon Power! Transform me into Neo-Queen Serenity!"

Mamoru stepped back as his wife's transformation washed over her. "Why don't you do that every day?" He asked, noticing how easy it was for her to do.

She winked at him saucily. "Here's your robe." She responded, handing the item back over. "Make sure the heating's turned up in the throne room. Regardless of how it looks, I'm still wearing the same thing I was before."

With that she sashayed out of the room. Mamoru stared after her, still in shock from that announcement.

* * *

_I try my best to keep these all appropriate for all ages that may watch Sailor Moon, in an attempt to keep my language and inclination to passionate romance in check, but for this one I just couldn't resist. The idea was just to good to pass up. I'm thinking I may have to upgrade the rating in general, though. I don't control the prompts, after all._


	39. Lucre

_Day 39: Lucre_

* * *

Makoto gaped angrily at the five cards laid out so neatly on the table by the priestess opposite her. "You... you..." She was almost incoherent with a passing rage, before growling slightly and glaring icily as the raven-haired girl pulled the pile of coins towards her. They were playing for pennies, but Rei was still amassing quite a bit of money.

"How _do_ you do it?" Minako asked, awe in her voice. She was also glaring at her caustic friend, but her eyes also held a great deal of amazement.

Rei just flicked her hair over her shoulder and smiled toothily. "That's for me to know and you to rue." That was the only answer she would give. They'd already heard it plenty over the night.

Ami shook her head. "Enjoy your lucre while it lasts." She warned ominously. The others all looked at her in worried confusion. She smiled grimly at them. "Next week's game is Risk."

Her three friends groaned in synchronized resignation. The strategic genius had yet to loose one battle of the cardboard earth in their half-millenia of Wednesday Game Nights.


	40. Bivouac

_Day 40: Bivouac_

* * *

"Give me one good reason why we're out here." Ami's voice was as cold as her ice as she glared at her leader. "_One good reason_ why we went on a long, _long_ hike and decided to bivouac in _this_ place!"

Ami had never been camping before, and didn't think she wanted to ever go again after this. Then, of all places, they'd chosen to camp in a rocky, sheltered little nook. It was almost like someone had carved a little bit of the mountainside away. However, there was certainly no room for all ten of them, and the wind whistled through their makeshift windbreaks like it would a screen door. Add to that the _bugs_...

No, Ami was certainly not enjoying this.

Rei sighed, sick of her comrade's complaining. Especially since she really wanted to do the same. However, the great fire never lied. "This was necessary, Ami. That's all you need to know."

The blue-haired girl glared, then stomped over to where Setsuna was, irritation in every line of her body. Usagi looked at the priestess and mouthed a 'thank you'. It was obvious she didn't want to draw Ami's attention back to her. Rei just shrugged and went to join Makoto cooking dinner.

Her thoughts kept straying back to the yet-unvoiced reason they were out here. She was convinced that Usagi didn't really know either, and was just acting on instinct. However, for the Great Fire to have stuck its nose in, this must be a big deal.

A sudden vibration in the air, coupled with the sky suddenly falling dark, made everyone look up and to the north in unison. There, framed perfectly in the entrance to their nook, was the billow of a mushroom cloud. Eight heads then snapped to where Mamoru and Usagi were.

Or rather, where they had been. Standing in their place was Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion.

"So it begins." Came the soft, regal voice of the one they all swore to protect.

"So it does." Agreed her consort, wrapping one arm around her. In unison, they raised their hands and called forth their crystals.

Rei turned her head back to the only visible evidence of the catastrophe that was claiming her home.

_Indeed, so it begins._

* * *

_A little more drama-y than normal, but I hope you like it anyway. There was a reason I never gave this story a genre._


	41. Gravitas

_Day 41: Gravitas_

* * *

"We place our entire trust..."

_Twitch._

"... In Your Majesties, the benevolent,"

_Huff._

"...Kind, intelligent,"

_Snort._

"...Brave, and selfless rulers we need in these trying times. Your dedication..."

She bit her lips to keep her giggles inside.

"... And valour are an example to us all. We are humbled..."

She stared straight ahead, noticing the startled glance from a minor aid and wondering briefly if she looked constipated or something.

"...That you have honoured..."

She was hyperventilating now, though she tried her best not to let it show.

"... Us with your invite to be a part of your realm."

She is going to die. Just fall to the floor here, dead. There is no way she can stand any more of this.

Neo-Queen Serenity glances over at her stalwart protector, Mars, and makes a motion that is clearly a dismissal. "My apologies." She informs the diplomat, displaying all the gravitas expected in this situation for both her and her guardians. "I'm afraid something just came up that needed to be dealt with now. Mars is seeing to it."

* * *

"Alright, what was so important that you had to send Rei away?" Makoto asked Usagi, annoyed that only the priestess got to escape the meetings of the day. They were relaxing now, having joined Rei in her rooms for a 'debriefing'.

"Imminent death by laughter." The blonde sometimes-queen replied, draping herself over her missing friend. "Besides, if I got one more look at Rei trying not to laugh, I was going to start up myself. That would _not _have been appropriate." She glared lightly at the girl she fought with so often. "I hope you know this means you get to cover for me next time I'm 'sick'. Fair's fair."

* * *

_And so it's April. I think this is the longest I've ever stuck with a project, excepting the occasional computer game. But even that was never an every-single-day thing. Plus it was only a half hour, even on the days I did play. For computer games, that's really not a lot._

_I'm rather impressed with myself, actually. _


	42. Unctuous

_Day 42: Unctuous_

* * *

"I swear, he was _so _unctuous that his smile almost slid right off his stupid face. And then, since it would have been _impolite_ to do otherwise, I had to _dance_ with him!"

Helios just leaned against the wall and let his girlfriend rant. Neither had made their arrangement known to her parents, but the priest suspected they knew anyway. Actually, at the moment he was suspicious that not only did they _know_ of the relationship, but that the oh-so-annoying ball tonight had been their way of getting revenge.

When Chibiusa finally ran down her rant, Helios pushed himself off of her wall and wrapped her in a hug. He then moved his hands so that his right was holding hers and his left was curled around her waist.

"What are you doing?" She asked, eyeing him quizzically.

He spun her around the room a few times, taking light, quick steps. She smiled as they waltzed in one and a half time, the dance now just fast enough to be exhilarating. "Well," He replied, dipping her to the point where she almost touched the ground. "I think I should get a dance with you too. And since I wasn't able to make it to the actual party, I figured we could have one now. And isn't this better than stuffy courtiers?"

She shot him a glare, but it was halfhearted at best, her joy shining through with ease. "Don't let it go to your head." She warned him.

He released her and gave a deep bow before gathering her up in his arms again. "As you command, Milady."

She giggled. "You dork."

"_Your_ dork." He gently corrected.

He face flushed adorably. "I can live with that."


	43. Abstemious

_Day 43: Abstemious_

* * *

"Ah, Usagi! Good to see you! How did your graduation ceremony go?" Motoki beamed at the younger blonde, who smiled back at him.

"It was wonderful, Motoki, and thanks for asking." She replied, sitting down on one of teh stools.

"That's great. I'm so happy for you, graduating high school and all. In celebration, your milkshake's on the house today!"

At that her smiled dimmed, causing Motoki to glance at her worriedly. "What's wrong?" He asked, quite concerned.

She smiled again, but he could tell that it didn't quite make it to her eyes. "Nothing. I just don't feel like a milkshake today, that's all. I'll just have some tea."

"Tea?" To say the arcade worker was shocked would be an understatement. "You don't want a milkshake, you want tea?"

She nodded, just as a disbelieving snort came from someone just entering the arcade. "Give her the milkshake, Motoki. You know as well as I do that it's what she really wants."

"Mamoru!" Motoki exclaimed, happier than normal to see his friend. He was sure Mamoru would be able to find out what was wrong with his girlfriend. He nodded in agreement and turned to make the treat.

"Mamo-chan..." Usagi began, her voice rather hesitant. She was torn between reproving him and thanking him.

"Usako..." He mocked her serious tone lightly, then grinned. "Sweetheart, you don't need to be Serenity yet. You'll have a millennium to be abstemious. For now, just be you."

That was all it took for her reticence to fade, easily replaced with her normal cheer. "Motokiiiiii... Since it's such a special day, can I have _two_ cherries?"

* * *

_... It took me three days to realize that all the chapters this month will have the same last digit on the day and chapter number. Heh heh heh... Now I feel really silly. And yet I share that fact. Says something about me and my big mouth, doesn't it?_

_Ah well, I hope you like the chapter._


	44. Dapple

_Day 44: Dapple_

* * *

She watched the sun dapple the surface of the lake, little ripples casting bright lights all over her vision. She sighed and thought that this is what she fought for. It was so beautiful, so perfect, so entrancing...

_Thud!_

"Wha...? Oh, Minako. It's you again. Wake up! This is just as boring for the rest of us!"

* * *

_I saw how short it was, was going to make it a true drabble... Then got to this point and thought any more would ruin the flow of it. I'll leave what bored her that much to your fertile imagination. Enjoy, and have a great day._


	45. Irascable

_Day 45: Irascible_

* * *

"You really should tone down that temper, Minako. Everyone's talking about your irascible attitude. It's not good for your image, or for the Senshi's when you finally unveil yourself. This is more important than you seem to realize."

The blonde buried her face in her hands, blue eyes shut tight. She knew if she looked at the white cat a the moment, she would strangle him. "You... Just... Argh, why can't you get it through your thick head that _cats don't talk?_ Honestly, Artemis, Crazy Ribbon Lady pseudonym is mostly _your_ fault! I don't even actually _know_ ventriloquism!"

* * *

_Crazy Ribbon Lady name comes from Four King Hell, a webcomic/doujinshi by Dr Frizzy. Nightshift is killing my brain at the moment, just so you know. I'm only two days in, and my sleeping patterns are messed._

_On a different note, this is a true drabble. Go me! Hope you liked it._


	46. Canorous

_Day 46: Canorous_

* * *

"... A meeting with the ambassadors from the middle east... That one's Mamo-chan's. They're still a little touchy about ruling females. The Queen of England is here. The head of the IAPEGG engineering group. Ami, would you...? Good, thanks. Oh, and that random starlet that managed to get someone to agree to grant her an audience _again_..." Usagi, busy assigning roles to each of her protectors so that they would all be free early enough to celebrate Rei's five hundred and fortieth birthday, paused in shock at the scuffle that had broken out among the unassigned three.

"You got her last time! It's my turn!"

"It's _my _birthday!" That was likely Rei, though it was hard to tell with all the voices shouting at once. "You should let me have her!"

"I already called her after last time! Quit being so greedy!"

Knowing she wasn't going to be able to get any answers from the rest, the blonde turned to the blue-haired girl who was calmly typing on her computer (she said it was work, but Usagi had seen the tetris blocks during that one meeting when Ami didn't pull up the work screen fast enough). Ami didn't seem to notice the gaze on her, but she answered it anyway.

"The girl's a star. She knows how to use her voice." Her own tone slightly wistful. "We probably wouldn't dislike meeting so much if everyone was as canorous as her."


	47. Metier

_Day 47: Metier_

* * *

"What the... You... It... This... Them... Ugh!" Makoto threw her hands in the air and glared at the new head chef in the palace. He was the fourth one this week, and it was only Tuesday.

One hand fisted on her hip, while the other pointed at him angrily, in total disregard of good manners. "How hard is it to _cook an egg_? Honestly, you put the toaster on medium, boil water on medium, crack an egg into the water while putting down your toast, and the _egg is done when the bread is buttered!_ It's not rocket science!"

The other Senshi ignored their comrade's outburst in favour of their own breakfasts. Ami was perfectly willing to admit to herself that her eggs were overdone, as there was no liquid yolk to spread over the toast, but she wasn't going to give Makoto more ammunition. She was already worse than any 'Iron Chef' could ever be.

"... Is this even actually your metier, or did your mother make you take cooking school? For crying out loud, I..."

Yes, definitely worse.

* * *

_I never understand how some people can't make poached eggs, but there it is. I suppose there're people out there that can't understand how I can not be able to sing, draw, or remember if the i or the e comes first in a word. Anyway, I'll be putting up a poll about this series soon, I'd appreciate it if you'd take the chance to look at it._

_Aside from that, enjoy the story and have a great day!_


	48. Futz

_Day 48: Futz_

* * *

"What are you _doing?_"

Mercury's normally dulcet tones rang like steel in the suddenly silent room. She glared at her comrades and best friends as they lounged around the room, currently in various stages of inebriation. A small part of her mind notices that Motoki is there too. It doesn't surprise her as much as it should have. After all, Mamoru was never fully comfortable being the only male in the group.

No one answers her question for so long she starts to think maybe they forgot. She knows they've been drinking for hours, just as she knows they've been waiting for her. She got their message, the invite. She'd simply ignored it in favour of getting through some of the huge pile of paperwork that was a part of starting a new government.

Until something needed a signature, that is. Then she had come hunting the royals. And found this.

"Just _where_ did you get the idea we have time to futz around like this? For shame! There is still much work that needs to be done, and..." She never got to finish as a surprisingly agile Makoto snuck up behind her and knocked her legs out from under her. Mercury fell to the floor in a flounce of skirt and a clatter of ever-so-slightly-toe-pinching boots. Before she could get her breath back to get up and continue haranguing her associates, Usagi crawls over to her, singing something about watermelons under her breath. The blonde sometimes-queen reached out her hand and got a look of strange _concentration_ on her face.

It took less than a heartbeat, she was sure. It was, quite simply, the _oddest_ sensation she'd ever encountered, including the time she'd met with her inner self. It felt a little like flying, a little like swimming, a little like curling up in the biggest, fluffiest blanket ever, and a lot like loss.

It was disorienting, poignant, and altogether otherworldly, and it knocked her out of her right mind long enough to gulp down the drink Minako had placed in her hand. She gagged a little at the burn, but by then it was too late, and the strong (very strong. Didn't the troublesome girl know that the ratio was supposed to favour mix over booze?) drink was down and in her stomach.

And it felt good. Not like what she now realized was Usagi forcibly de-transforming her, but less personal as well. They had all been working long hours trying to mend what was wrong in the world, and she hadn't realized until just now, with the alcohol loosening the knots in her body, just how taxing it had been.

She accepted another drink from Minako, not even wincing this time as it went down. Instead she savoured the burn, while it reminded her that there was a life outside of papers, proposals, and forms. Usagi brought her out of her musings by plopping her head in Ami's lap.

"The world can handle itself without us for the night. And if it can't, we'll do thing the magic crystal way in the morning. We do no one any good too worn out to even read the papers people push at us."

Ami nodded her head once, shocked into silence by the startling eloquence of her smashed monarch. Suddenly everything around her felt so perfect that she wanted to cry.

Minako broke the mood before the tears could even form, clapping her hands together for attention. "Now that Ami's finally joined us, it's time for games! Drunk Frustration! The person who finishes the level has to chug their drink! And, um... Everyone drinks when someone goes down! And... hey, when else do you think we should all drink?"

* * *

_Feel free to invent your own drunk version of a favourite card game. I usually just stick to drinking while playing, but here... Moody little one-shot, isn't it? Ah well, that's what happens when I write at two in the morning. I hope you enjoyed it. Please take the time to check out the poll on my page. It's about this story._

_Thanks for reading!_


	49. Tenterhooks

_Day 49: Tenterhooks_

* * *

"What is... Is that a tenterhook?" Neo-Queen Serenity stared in shock at her protector and sometimes-stand-in. The other blonde looked tired, dishevelled and very, very annoyed.

"No, it is not. _Where_ am I supposed to have found a tenterhook in the palace? It's not exactly like we have royal camping gear, you know!" Serenity blinked, startled by just how callous her friend's normally canorous voice was.

"Venus... Are you alright?"

"Alright? _Alright?_ I'm _fine!_ I mean, it's not like I just _mangled_ this thing getting _your_ toddler out of the bathroom, where she'd _flooded_ the sink and _flushed two full rolls of toilet paper!_ Seriously, why did you even _get _a lock on _her _bathroom?" She was hyperventilating now, breath coming in short huffs. Her monarch just stared at her in amazement.

"Uh... It came standard...?" Apparently her answer wasn't soft enough, as Venus threw her hands in the air, flailing the bent piece of metal the pig-tailed blonde had yet to identify in a rather unnerving manner. Suddenly finding said hooked implement in her hands, she looked back at her protector.

"I'm going to go train recruits." Serenity gulped, and immediately felt sorry for whomever was on the practice grounds now. "_You_," The incensed Senshi spat out, turning away and somehow managing to both flick her hair and her skirt in emphasis, "Get to explain to Jupiter what happened to her knitting needle."

* * *

_Yes, it was technically plural, but I didn't want to use the expression, I wanted to use the word. I hope you like it. My mental image of Venus after this is making me giggle._

_On another note, I wanted to mention something. This story in already many chapters, and it's going to keep growing. I'm not so full of it to believe all of them are the same amount funny or enjoyable. I considered putting my favourites in a separate story, then thought better of it, since you probably have different favourites than me. So I wanted to say this: Feel free to save your favourites to your own computer or do any other action to segregate them. Also, feel free to re-post to other sites, translate, expand upon, or otherwise mess with them. Just give me credit for the original story, and preferably let me know about it._


	50. Simpatico

_Day 50: Simpatico_

* * *

"Hey, Ami, why don't you ever hang out with your fan club?" The question was asked with obviously innocent curiosity, but it still made the genius' left eye twitch.

Her voice, however, was deceptively mild. "They don't really want me to hang out with them."

"They don't... Ami, three of them have cut their hair off. One's even dyed her hair blue! Is it really that much to ask for you to join them for lunch once in a while?"

"Slavish personal imitations and a contrived and simpatico attitude do _not_ a friendship make! _One _guy gives me a compliment at the school trip to the beach, and suddenly _I'm_ supposed to be living proof that smart is sexy! I am not here to validate their lifestyle, thank you very much!" She was almost yelling by the end of the rant, and her friend just looked at her with surprise.

"Oh... I... Uh... I see..." She stuttered, not sure what else to say.

Then Ami seemed to deflate and offered her normal sweet smile. "Besides, they don't know any fun games."


	51. Balderdash

_Day 51: Balderdash_

* * *

"... He said I was cute, but I was all like 'cute is for kitties' and then we had a milkshake, a chocolate one, of course, how could anyone pick anything over chocolate. Did you know it causes the same feelings in girls as good sex? Not that I'd know, just that chocolate is awesome. Especially with strawberries. Or ice cream. Or strawberry ice cream! That's my favourite to pick out first in the Neapolitan. Then the vanilla, and the chocolate last. I saw this movie once where vanilla was the cure for a chocolate based lust spell. Or maybe it was a tv show. I watch quite a few of those. My ex said you can't learn anything useful from them, but he's wrong. That idea is just balderdash, I tell you. Some days I'll even watch _until_ I learn my one new thing for the day..."

_Slam!_

The chattering classmate fell silent and tuned to the source of the disturbance, as did everyone else in the library. To everyone's surprise, it was quiet, calm Hotaru Tomoe who had silenced the chatterbox. Her lavender eyes were icy as she glared at the other girl, who had yet to close her mouth after being interrupted. "Some shows can teach things, I'll not dispute that. However, most of them are what one thinks are good ideas after _imbibing_ balderdash. Now, to save what's left of your brain for the day, I'll tell you your new thing for the day. This is a library, and those big signs that say 'Quiet' _mean you to!_ Most of us here would rather study than listen to your life story and opinions."

With that she left, blushing at the standing ovation all the university students gave her for saying what they were only thinking.

* * *

_Archaic usage has balderdash meaning the same thing as 'mystery punch'._


	52. Oppugn

_Day 52: Oppugn_

* * *

"She's that stuck up, that she won't work with us. After all, she's a _Senshi_, and we're just _engineers_." Mars could hear the whispers, and was glad they hadn't sent Mercury to meet with this group.

"That's enough." Her voice was soft, but the menace in it was clearly audible. She turned her unwavering violet gaze on the one doing the whispering. "Mercury will not be working with your group, and you can thank _her_," Mars nodded at the woman still pinned by her gaze, "For that. I assure you, she knows very well why _Ami Mizuno_ will not be working with you. It has nothing to do with being Mercury."

"What did she do?" One asked timidly. Mars didn't look away from the one she'd narrowed out.

"She knows. I will not oppugn her by spreading tales." The unspoken _like you do_ was clearly heard by the only one Mars needed to understand. The woman gulped as Mars stood and left, knowing that she was going to have to defend herself and her words now.

Mars smirked. It was less than the woman deserved, but it was still enough to make her smug. Usagi may forgive, but the rest of them weren't above a little playground justice now and then.

* * *

_Here's hoping for funnier words coming up. There's only so much you can do with something this confrontational. On another note, kudos to James Birdsong for reviewing. You broke my eight-day streak, and I thank you for that. Also for the sweet comment. I'm glad you like them._


	53. Praxis

_Day 53: Praxis_

* * *

"Why can't I learn to be a Senshi with the video game?" Saturn asked, annoyed after one too many late night training practices.

"Hunh." Neptune replied, turning her nose into the air. "When next you face a monster, you'll understand the value of praxis over that sort of learning."

Uranus winked at the younger girl. "I'll translate that for you. Neptune sucks at video games."

"Haruka!"

"Ah ah ah, love. We're in uniform. You know we're not supposed to say those names."

"... You are so dead. Just wait till we get home."

* * *

_Just to clear up any confusion: Where practice would include tackling a dummy or slow motion ruth throughs or hitting a pad, praxis would only be an actual tackle, performed on an actual person, at real speeds. It's still practice, just a subsect._


	54. Moratory

_Day 54: Moratory_

* * *

"Just where do you think you're going, young lady? You're as bad as your mother used to be, some days. Hotaru, you know better. Juno, Ceres, don't you have training with Makoto today?" The four girls looked up into the unforgiving stare of their tutor and mentor with something akin to fear.

"Well... we..." Began their pink-haired leader, wondering what she was going to say to get out of this.

"You nothing. Hotaru, report to Rei for your punishment assignment. She's expecting you." The brunette paled even more at this, her lavender eyes widening slightly. She was always spiritually exhausted after the fire Senshi was done with her. "You two," She pinned the two asteroid Senshi with a glare as icy as her element. "Will collect Pallas and Vesta, then proceed to the training grounds. If you all are not gathered there in an appropriate amount of time, I will contact Minako to join you in your practice." They squirmed, obviously attempting to get out from under her gaze. "And you," She looked finally at the young royal. "Are coming with me."

The girl exchanged rueful glances with her friend before hurrying after her 'aunt' when prompted by a sarcastic "Today, ladies."

It wasn't fully enough to chastise the rebellious, headstrong young girl. "Can't I just get a moratory on the stupid assignment."

She missed the slightly pained look on the woman's face, to bust staring grouchily at the floor. "It's an essay, Small Lady, not a mortgage payment."

* * *

"So, can you tell me what you and your friend's did wrong, and why you're being punished for it?" The essay finally done, the two were back to being old friends having tea. Or, at least, Chibiusa had thought they were.

"Because we were planning on ditching all of this _work_ to take some time to just be _teenagers_." She replied, venom in her tone.

Ami just chuckled, knowing the girl wasn't really angry with her. "Wrong. It's because you acted impulsively and selfishly. Not that those are always _bad_ traits, but found together, they spell trouble." She sipped at her tea, pretending to ignore the way her charge's head snapped up and how her eyes narrowed speculatively. "Mostly, though, it's because you were going to be caught anyway. I don't mind plots that much, but sloppy ones annoy me. You're all far too intelligent to come up with something that... Usagi-like."

"Umm... What?" Came the response from the flabbergasted princess.

Ami sighed and put down her cup, a millennium of guardianship showing briefly in the weariness of the action. "If you'd looked at your schedules, you'd have seen that all of you have free time tomorrow. Only about an hour that overlaps, but that's more than enough for a plot. Plus, all the guards on would be ones that are sympathetic to young girls wanting to act like young girls. As opposed to today, when the one closest to your normal escape route is secretly working for a tabloid. Then you decided to leave Pallas and Vesta behind to cover for you. Although that shows some forethought, it's not very kind to your two friends. As well, you should be well aware by now that Pallas can't lie for the life of her. Leaving her behind..." Ami trailed off, shaking her head. She stood then, slightly startling the girl she was sitting with. She impulsively gather up the teenager in her arms, remembering that age all too well for a moment.

"Finish your math tonight. I'll be able to tell your maids you're in 'lessons', and show them that for proof. I suggest you consider that new movie that came out last week. It was pretty awesome, even if the stunts were incredibly contrived. Your mother almost got us kicked out of the theatre by laughing so hard."

She left then, leaving her charge staring after her in shock once again.


	55. Vociferate

_Day 55: Vociferate_

* * *

"I... am very impressed. Very, very... Impressed." Minako was staring, wide-eyed, at the girl who was apparently the leader of the super-being team she was a part of. She wasn't totally sure she believed what she was seeing.

There was no microphone, no megaphone, not even cupped hands. There was _nothing_ to make that voice as loud as it was except the petite girl whom it belonged too.

"YOU INSENSITIVE JERK! HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO SWEET, WONDERFUL ME? WHY, I OUGHTA..."

Rei was reading a manga, ignoring the scene, while Makoto and Motoki were making bets on how long it would last and who would win. Ami was doing her homework, apparently oblivious to the chaos around her.

Apparently. Minako had never before seen how Ami was perfectly capable of being absorbed in her homework or book and still not miss anything going on around her. "She does have a rather vociferate way of getting her point across. You'll get used to it."

Minako just shook her head, wondering how she was weird enough to fit in with this group. She had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer.

* * *

_Am night shift? Not night shift? *Sigh* Well, I guess that means I get to rearrange my sleep patterns again. So If I stop making sense at some point, just let me know. Same with if there's errors in the story. Or if I totally space out and forget to post, like I almost did with this._


	56. Undertone

_Day 56: Undertone_

* * *

"So what do you think of that one?"

"A mole. Look at how he peers around like that. He definitely looks blind."

"Well, the one over there is a turtle. Just look of how he pulls his head in every time his wife scolds him."

"She looks like a squirrel, all quick movements and chittery voice."

"That one, the one from the USA, looks like an owl, looking around with that dead expression and blinking."

Neo-Queen Serenity caught her husband's eye and smirked lightly, the undertone of her friends' voices still somehow reaching her. They'd been fed up with doing all the boring things themselves and had forced the Senshi, all of them (except Pluto, and the others felt themselves envious of her duty to the time gate for once. Even that had to be more interesting than this), to attend this dinner. They'd known if would be dull, but hadn't bargained on the games the group would come up with to keep them amused.

That was just as well. Endymion wasn't sure he'd have invited them if he'd known they were going to do such potentially lethal things as start a whispered chorus of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" just as he took a spoonful of soup.

* * *

_The game is shamelessly stolen from Mercedes Lackey's _Arrow's Flight_ novel. I did not think of it on my own._


	57. Scurrilous

_Day 57: Scurrilous_

* * *

"... And we also hear that you faked your own death..."

Venus flicked her hair, looking angry. "Why would I do that? I've died enough times normally, I don't have to fake it."

The head of the coalition to remove her as a Senshi and replace her with a 'democratically elected member of the public in an effort to increase transparency and accountability in the royal guard' glared at her, obviously annoyed at her continued interruptions.

"Also, we have evidence that you have stalked no less than three public figures with dubious intent..."

She snorted at that. "Only one. I was sixteen. He was a friend _and _a rock star. I fail to see how being human makes me ineligible for a position of authority."

"You were often caught sneaking out at night, prompting neighbours to call the police and more than one instance of being punished by your parents..."

She rolled her eyes at their audience, all of whom were doing their best not to chuckle at her flippant responses and the ever-increasing irritation of the man before her. Despite the fact that they were all trained diplomats, she was still getting to them.

"Right." She smacked her palm into her hand. "You're absolutely right. There is _no_ excuse for thinking that the safety of the world was more important than my curfew. What's _wrong_ with me, being that selfish? After all, it's not like I would have preferred being safe, at home, in my bed, getting a full night's rest, and managing to complete my schooling without falling asleep."

If looks could kill, she'd be six feet under by now. A few of the diplomats had actually unbent enough to chuckle, though they tried to stifle it. He knew. She could tell that in the set of his shoulders.

"There's also the time you..."

"Enough!" She interrupted, surging to her feet. She was done. Completely done with this audience. "I've had _enough_ of your scurrilous rumours! I sacrificed _my _life, _my_ dreams, _my_ relationships, and _my _friendships in an ongoing attempt to keep everyone else safe. You can say what you like, but there is _no way_ you are ever going to replace me with your candidate. Crescent Beam!" With that she incinerated his papers, the ashes floating around him as his face paled. "I am a _soldier_! Not a politician, a _soldier_! People trust me to make sure their world is peaceful enough for them to live their lives how they want. I wouldn't even trust you with my spare pencil!"

It was the first time the Grand Council ever gave a speaker a standing ovation.

* * *

_If you read this in the first two hours, I fixed a typo already. If there are more that I missed, just let me know._


	58. Corybantic

_Day 58: Corybantic_

* * *

"Who were the Axis Powers and how did they cause..."

"Was MacBeth or Hamlet the one where the girl went crazy and..."

"What page do they talk about hydrogen bonds?"

"What's the specific heat capacity of water again?"

"Is the sine law a/sina or sina/a?"

Ami watched ehr friends freak out with unveiled amusements. For people who resisted all efforts by both her and the teachers to drum this information into their heads all year, they sure became frantic during exam time. Cobalt eyes were amused and pale lips twitched as she watched their corybantic antics, the girls growing more and more anxious as the day went on.

Eventually she would remind them that she gave them study cards with all of this information on them. For now, she was enjoying the show.

* * *

_The traffic counter here is broken. And several days I've had troubles logging in. If something happens and I'm forced to take a posting hiatus, I have a tumblr with the same username as where I will post this story. I will still post them here after, but just in case of something like what happened a month ago happens again you now know where to look._

_... My, what a rambling and pointless sentence. I considered revising it, but then I found it funny. Hope you did too. I promise I didn't make it difficult on purpose._


	59. Akimbo

_Day 59: Akimbo_

* * *

"What are you... _My cookies!_ What do you think you're _doing_? They weren't even off the tray yet! Those were for _everyone_, you two!"

The blonde culprits exchanged glances with each other, before looking back at their outraged friend. Green eyes snapping, auburn hair starting to float from the static she was giving off, arms akimbo, dressed in a frilly apron and holding a spatula and whisk, she looked like a domestic goddess on the warpath. They looked back at each other then.

"We're in trouble, aren't we." It was whispered, but still clearly audible to everyone in the room.

"Oh yeah. She's ticked. What do you think we should do?"

"Run."

* * *

_Thanks to Hsien-Co-Panda for your kind words. They're much appreciated, and hearing you like my works makes my day. I hope you (and everyone else, of course) likes this one just as much!_


	60. Abaft

_Day 60: Abaft_

* * *

"Behind you! Venus, It's coming from the back! Duck left!"

Invisible, but not untraceable. That was the boomerang-style weapon this latest youma was using. However, try as she might, Mercury wasn't seeming to be able to make that clear to her teammates. She watched as her sunset-shaded 'leader' get knocked to the ground once again, she finally lost her temper.

"TIME!" She screamed, making a 't' with her free hand and computer. Everyone froze right where they were standing, monster-of-the-week included. She marched over to where Venus was lying on the ground almost visibly steaming. "For crying out loud, Venus. 'Behind you' isn't exactly the world's most confusing topic, you know. She... You are a she, right? Would you prefer I call you something else? No? 'She' is fine? Alright, she has a boomerang. Those are thrown with a spin that allows them to _curve_. That means, even if you duck it the first time, it will come back. So when I say something indicating behind you, I expect you to make the minor intellectual leap to the fact that there is a threat behind you. 'Rear', 'back', 'behind', or 'to the rear' are all phrases that I may use to indicate that. Okay? We're all clear now? Good."

She glanced up at the youma, who had raised her hand in the meantime. "Yes?" She was puzzled. None of them had ever done that before.

"Considering you are the _Sailor_ Senshi, wouldn't 'abaft' also be appropriate?"

Now they were all staring at the youma, who responded by blushing. "Hey! I wanted to be a librarian growing up! But _noooo_, Mama said I have to be a youma and serve Beryl like the rest of my family. 'It's in our blood', or something." She was pouting now.

Sailor Moon stepped up and put her hand on the decidedly young-sounding creatures shoulder. "There there. It's never easy when your parents want something like that from you, is it? My mother's _always _after me about my grades. As if I don't have more important things to do, right? But no, she says..."

Beryl was becoming annoyed. Not only was her youma not back yet, but Kunzite had yet to return from his mission to find said youma. She was used to being obeyed instantly. Having to wait for things never did go down well with her.

Just as she was considering sending Endymion after Kunzite, the missing Shittenou teleported in himself. Beryl opened her mouth to rip him a new one, but paused at the haunted, horrified look in his eyes. She watching in fascinated confusion as he lurched up to the dais and grabbed Endymion by the lapels. "Hot wings! Beer! Football! Anything! I need estrogen antibodies, and I need them now!"

In a seldom seen show of support, the Prince gripped his coworkers shoulders. "Was it really that bad?" He asked, eyes slightly concerned.

The white haired man shivered, eyes wide in remembered horror. "The whole area around them has been transformed into a 3D, imax style chick flick theatre! And they have pink sugar cookies and cream soda floats!"

At Beryl's gesture, the brunette led his foil out. Beryl just sat on her throne, trying not to laugh. She had an image to maintain, after all.

* * *

_Yes, I know it's late. Do I care? Enh, ask me sometime when I'm not up over an hour after my bedtime because the stupid site won't let me upload. Hope it's good enough for the wait. I think it's funny, but at the momet one of my socks being inside out is hilarious too._


	61. Mumbo Jumbo

_Day 61: Mumbo Jumbo_

* * *

"Girls! I think I've discovered something important!"

Two heads swivelled to look at her, curiosity and surprise clearly shining in violet and emerald eyes.

The two pairs of sapphire blue, however...

The blondes just glanced up from the game Minako was playing on her phone. "Hey, Ami. Pull up a seat." It was Usagi who said it, but it didn't really matter. Neither of them were actually paying attention.

"Don't worry about them." Rei replied, waving her hand airily to indicate the blondes. "If they really need to know, I'll yell at them later."

"Thanks, Rei." Ami replied, taking her seat.

"So what have you discovered?" Makoto asked, leaning forward over the table.

"Ah, yes. It seems that our attack phrases are just so much mumbo jumbo. There's no power in the words themselves, they're just a focusing tool. What matters is the _will_ to make the magic do what you want."

Rei and Makoto exchanged a glance, digesting the importance of this discovery. It would mean better opportunities to sneak up on opponents, as well as a way to keep them guessing.

"Nothing more till I can afford my rollercoaster. Nothing till the rollercoaster, nothing till... Hey! I can build popcorn stands!"

_Gasp!_ "Minako... Do it, do it, do it! Popcorn!"

The other three sweatdropped, listening to their friends. "On the other hand," Makoto mused, "It's probably best that those two don't know of this discovery."

"Too true." Rei agreed, while Ami nodded. "Those bubble-brains would probably forget what they were trying to do if they didn't have the words."

* * *

_... I don't even... mumbo jumbo? Seriously? And Minako is directly quoting me. Now you see the reason behind the story._


	62. Homunculous

_Day 62: Homunculous_

* * *

"... Ami, you have a little person sitting on your desk. And it looks like my daughter." Ami could see her friend shed her Neo-Queen Serenity persona in favour of a confused Usagi as she walked into the room.

"I'm aware of that. Chibiusa helped me with her. Well, I guess she doesn't like that name any more. It's hard to change my thoughts, though. You're still Usagi, and Lady Usagi isn't really good for friends." Ami pondered that for a moment, remembering the pink-haired young woman telling them that she didn't want to be called 'Chibiusa' and more.

Usagi just shrugged. "I still call her Chibiusa."

Ami snorted. "She's _your_ daughter. The rest of us are just friends, and should listen to her preferences."

"Call her Usa-chan, then. You guys don't shorten my name, so that should work." Usagi shrugged, apparently very unconcerned by what her guardians called her daughter. "That still doesn't explain why you have a foot tall Chibiusa sitting on your desk."

The little person on the desk frowned at her slightly. "Usagi doesn't want to be called Chibiusa any more. She gave that name to me, and I want to keep it. _I _like it."

Pale blue eyes blinked in amazement. "It talks..."

"_She_ does." Ami stressed, picking up the little person and holding her out for her friend to see better. The tiny woman bowed. "This is your daughter's homunculus."

"Hom-whatsis?" The other woman asked, sounding very silly at the moment. She bowed back to the little person, not taking her eyes off of her.

"Homunculus. It's a miniature human created through science and magic, rather than normal biology. She shares, well, I guess a _soul_ with your daughter. They're two different people, but share the same basic, ummm, heart, really." The blue-haired genius placed her creation back on the table.

"I... See. Well, no, I guess I actually don't, but I'll take your word for it. How about you answer a different question. _Why_?"

Ami smiled down her newest friend. "Would you like to explain this?"

"Sure!" Replied the new Chibiusa, offhandedly. "It's like this: Since I share a soul and existence with your daughter, it doesn't break any of the universal laws for me to stay at the time gate. Do you know what day it is?"

"Umm, October 29th. Why?"

Ami smiled and gathered up the small human again. "If you'll excuse me, I want to go give Pluto her gift from your daughter and I."

Usagi just stared after her in shock.

* * *

"What's up love? You've been a little out of it all day?" Neo-Queen Serenity leaned back in the strong arms that enclosed her, knowing it was her husband. She'd recognized the voice even before the touch.

"Did you know Ami just created her first child? With our daughter?"


	63. Peregrinate

_Day 63: Peregrinate_

* * *

"And now, for my sins, I am exiled. Banished, to peregrinate all over this desolate landscape, seeking only the lost souls who can offer me my redemption in exchange for their very souls, blackened as they are. Silently, I creep on, intent on not disturbing the careful slumber of those I am serving. For them to know of me, and my penance, would bring great discord and concern. It is better than I remain solitary, in my own mystery cloaked..."

"Oh, for crying out loud, Venus! We _all_ are patrolling tonight! Now quit wining and get out there!"

* * *

_A fitting word for my day. So far at hour 31 without sleep, and feeling the amount of time I spent on my feet today. Chasing after a 14-month-old didn't help, even if she is adorable._

_On a side note, this is a true drabble. Yay! _


	64. Yin

_Day 64: Yin_

* * *

"You two do know that you're completely messing up your Chinese symbolism, right?"

Usagi and Mamoru blinked at each other, then turned disbelieving eyes back to the indignant blonde before them. "Uh, what?" Usagi finally articulated, her boyfriend wisely keeping his mouth shut in the face of further proof in his all-senshi-are-somehow-nuts theory.

"Your Chinese symbolism!" Knee-length blonde hair flared around her as she waved her arms, further emphasizing her point. "You should be yin, the female principle, and he should be yang, the masculine one! You're not! _You_ are all light and sun, the yang, and he's all dark and negative, the yin!It's... it's... How can you properly run the world later if you don't even match up with your principles?"

A table away, Makoto was gamely wiping the table after both Ami and Rei spat their drinks out following Minako's little speech. Idly, she wondered who had gotten the bright idea to have the excitable girl take an intro philosophy class.

* * *

_Happy Easter! I get to spend it with the family, so my niece and nephew, at one and two respectively. *Passes out due to cute overload* Yay!_


	65. Marginalia

_Day 65: Marginalia_

* * *

"It's not that I mind helping you out, Chibiusa, but why do you want to borrow _my_ notes? Wouldn't Ami's be better?" Solemn cinnamon eyes met violet, and Rei almost gulped. The girl looked much older than her twelve years at the moment... Actually, she looked rather close to her actual age of nine hundred and some.

"I prefer yours." The words dripped quiet dignity, and Rei found herself blinking. "Of all the Senshi, you're the only one without the habit of decorating your notes with marginalia and other such nonsense. You can learn quite a bit about someone from that, you know. The mental ramblings of a concerned, crushing, annoyed, and/or sleep deprived sixteen year old girl is neither light reading nor in my curriculum."

The priestess had to use all of her willpower to keep a straight face when confronted with the child's reasoning. She dismissed the girl, then let a Cheshire grin escape her face while she went to go find Ami.

She couldn't wait to tell the still-shy woman that her own adolescent comments were considered disturbing by a pre-pubescent child.


	66. Anneal

_Day 66: Anneal_

* * *

"So we're just letting the Black Moon Clan attack?"

"What else can we do? We need them, annoying as I find it to admit that. Without them to anneal us, we wouldn't be any sort of match for the Death Busters. Hotaru's, and possibly the world's, existence relies upon this."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"None of us do. That doesn't make it less necessary."

The four guardian Senshi glared at each other for a moment, then stalked off to their individual rooms. They all knew the truths spoken before in their hearts. They also knew the others weren't really mad. They were scared, and lonely, and hurt, and felt insufficient.

Despite all they'd been through together, this was something they would have to face alone, tonight. Tomorrow, they would fight. A battle was no place for brooding.

* * *

_If you don't want to laugh at this story, **don't read further in this note!** When I first typed it up, I put breeding in the last sentence. By accident, but I almost wanted to leave it there for comedic efect. _


	67. Jamboree

_Day 67: Jamboree_

* * *

"So what, exactly, is this party about?" A bemused Neo-King Endymion asked of a sloshed Venus.

"It's to celebrate the ascension of the Sailor Quartet! ChibiUsa, too. What sort of silly question is that? How could we not have a party for them?" The golden warrior replied, trying not to slur her words.

He shook his head, not really surprised. "Anything for a party, eh?"

"Silly King." Venus replied, poking him in the chest.

He glared lightly. "I enter my rooms to find a pastel-shaded jamboree going on. Of course I'm going to have questions!"

* * *

_True drabble! Yay!_


	68. Polymorphous

_Day 68: Polymorphous_

* * *

"You're rather polymorphous for a public figure. You know that, right?"

It wasn't really a question. Anyone that didn't know the young-looking queen probably wouldn't have noticed the way she stilled, the slight pause in both her actions and words.

"I only ever was Usagi. It's everyone else who wanted more."

"Did you give it to them?"

"They seem to think so." It was a deliberately ambiguous statement, and it gave her guardian pause.

"What's wrong?"Philosophizing was bad. The blonde only did that when she was really upset.

"... Everything they think they see. I almost hope some kid points out the elephant in the room."

"You're not making a lot of sense."

"Sure I am. You're just expecting me to be deeper than I am. You... and everyone else."

Finally the tension became to much, and the other woman left the room.

She staked through the palace halls, glaring at the floor before her. _You're not the only one with a mask, Usagi. Don't keep us on the outside of it._

* * *

_It's raining outside. I feel like I massacred the thoughts behind this story, but I don't mind. I'm ready for bed anyways._


	69. Osmose

_Day 69: Osmose_

* * *

"I've got to run, though. I have to finish my homework." Rei, Makoto, and Minako stared at their blonde friend in shock. Ami and Mamoru looked almost moved to tears.

"It took years," He breathed, "But I think she's finally got it."

"Five years later and she's finally managed to osmose the idea that homework needs to get done." Ami replied, looking excited.

Usagi, for her part, just pouted at them. "Daddy's cutting off my allowance if I don't raise my math mark. There's a huge shoe sale in two weeks, and I _have _to go."

Minako and Makoto roared with laughter, while Rei helped Ami and Mamoru off the floor. Both had face faulted at her oh-so-Usagi comment.

* * *

_I blame my brother for the fact that this number is as funny as it is. Normally I'm not *quite* that childish, but he seems to bring that out in me. This one feels a little choppy to me, but I also didn't even look at the word until ten minutes ago. Hope you like it._


	70. Effloresce

_Day 70: Effloresce_

* * *

"It looks perfectly fine to me."

"Gyah! It was dying! _Dying_, I tell you! Just because it decided to effloresce the moment I brought it to you doesn't mean it wasn't dying!"

Emerald green eyes gave a long look at the dusky skin of the woman before her. "Setsuna, are you sure it's not just the light that killing it? I don't think you're meant to be able to start a garden in front of the time gate. Here, why not just leave that plant with me. I'll take care of it, promise."

Garnet eyes glared at her. Finally she just threw her hands in the air. "Can't have visitors, can't have pets, can't have _plants_... Seriously, it's just me there. And those stupid roaches." She shuddered. "They get everywhere."

Makoto just smiled at her. "But when it all ends, you'll have both Tyr and Dylan Hunt as well!"

The older woman paused, and a smile slowly spread over her face. "I think I can handle that."

* * *

_For a day 70 celebration, you all get to see my geekiness. Yes, this is a sort-of crossover, but I don't it really matters. And poor Setsuna needs something to look forward to. That chain shirt..._


	71. Incommodious

_Day 71: Incommodious_

* * *

"Stupid crazy monster has to stupid attack us on the only stupid street in a five stupid mile radius that doesn't have any stupid alleys, or bushes, or _any other stupid place we can transform!_"

"... Being stuck inside this incommodious phone booth with everyone is bad enough. I _don't_ want to listen to you abusing your native language at the same time."

"Why did we all have to try and jump in at the same time?"

"'Great minds think alike'?"

"I think you mean 'fools seldom differ'."

"Hey! You jumped in here too! And whoever's doing it, _stop touching me!_"

"... There's five of us trapped, somehow, in a phone booth. I don't think it's possible for us all to have our own little non-touching corners."

"Girls! I think I've got a hand free! Just give me a moment..."

"AAAAH!"

"EEK!"

"ACK!"

"OWW!"

"Yes!" With that, Eternal Sailor Moon jumped to her feet from the pile of guardians on the street infront of their box-like nemesis. She did a little happy-dance, taking care not to step on her friends. "I did it! I got us out! Take that, evil telephone booth of restraint! HAH!"

Just as she pointed the the innocent-looking item in question, an extremely squashed looking Sailor Iron Mouse emerged. She glared at the shocked soldiers. "That's _my_ telephone box! Stay _out_!"

* * *

_... There's at least one place where just one word difference could hugely impact the rating. Writing this was easy. It was restraining the innuendos that was hard. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!_


	72. Dandle

_Day 72: Dandle_

* * *

Neo-Queen Serenity was enjoying being a queen more than she thought she would. In fact, she'd imagined being much more annoyed with the pomp and ceremony around her than she currently was. Apparently all those speeches were good for something, a fact that she never failed to point out to Mercury.

She liked her gown. It was actually quite comfortable, combining elegance with the ease of wearing one would expect from their favourite pj's. The drape was both refined and gorgeous, while still allowing her to sit for hours without anything pinching or tugging.

She was fond of her crown. It was pink and girlish, while still being obviously royal. It was moulded for her alone, allowing it to sit on her head without pressing odd spots or needing a couple million bobby pins to hold it on. It was easily enough secured right into her hair that she never had to worry about it coming loose or sliding off either.

She adored her palace. Colour was easily added with rugs and wooden panelling, and she much preferred the pale quartz to the austere look of marble or the solidity of granite. And even though the floors were cold on her bare feet in the morning, she had no trouble summoning herself a pair of big, fluffy socks. The socks were also wonderful for sliding down the halls in.

Her _throne_, on the other hand...

Since there was _no way_ she was allowing someone to measure her rear, it wasn't quite as made-for-her as the crown was. As well, there was no way to make _anything_ really comfortable enough to stay in for long periods of time. Even Ami's ergonomic office chair had a time limit, though it was much longer than normal chairs.

Her throne wasn't ergonomic. Even a cushion didn't really help. It was imposing, it was aloof, it was majestic. It was also hard, uncomfortable, and very cold. All in all, she rather detested her chair. In fact, that state of affairs actually lasted for the entirety of her first three years as queen.

* * *

"She won't stop screaming!" It was Mars who stated the obvious, trying desperately to quiet the strong-lunged little bundle that had decided she was _not_ too old to nurse all on her own.

"Dandle her!" Her mother commanded, exasperated with both her guards and her child. This whole scene was laying out in front of the courtiers, and she was sick of it. "Bounce her in your arms! Rock her! Put her in her stroller and go for a walk! Take her for a drive! The motion calms her down."

The fire guardian jostled the child slightly as instructed and was gratified to find that it did help. She left then, and the room continued to stare at their young, fuming monarch. "I've had just about enough of this. Impassive dignity can just go take a long walk off a short pier. Jupiter, come help me move this thing."

* * *

And that was how Neo-Queen Serenity came to replace her throne with her favourite rocking chair.

* * *

_Because I just couldn't resist. This is actually late because my siblings decided to play 'spy' in the course of delivering something to a mutual friend in our hometown. I got an e-mail from him and just about spat my milk out on my computer. So I had to call. I couldn't _not_ ask what they were doing._


	73. Purlieu

_Day 73: Purlieu_

* * *

"I can't believe he just created his own hill! In the middle of the city, too! This is municipal property, not his purlieu he can do whatever he wants with!"

Mars was holding her head, where a vein was throbbing. Mercury was using her computer (probably to play tetras again. The girl had the weirdest obsession with that game) and seeming to ignore her leader. Luna sighed. That meant it was up to her to get her charge under control.

"Sailor Moon, behave yourself! There will be time to lecture _after_ we've found him! You know you two will spend a good ten minutes trading insults before the first attack flies! And after your comments to that young man in the arcade and your spat with your brother, it's not like you need to warm up!"


	74. Bushwhack

_Day 74: Bushwhack_

* * *

"... Will you please explain, once again, why we are bushwhacking through the city park today? Especially since the route you're taking us on is so difficult that we have to be transformed to take it. Also, why did we have to ditch Rei and Luna? Why _are_ we here?" Mercury was beyond exasperated. It was the first time Sailor Moon had seen her glare like that, and it made her quake in her boots.

"Well, it has to do with the whole 'right wrongs' thing. You know, 'for love and justice'? I'm attempting to uphold those standards, even when it isn't technically the Dark Kingdom being bad." She was attempting to sound sure of herself, but it wasn't working. The shuffling of her feet gave her away.

Mercury sighed and fisted her hands on her hips. "What, _exactly_, are we doing?"

"Something important?" Sailor Moon was looking off to the side now, and Mercury just sighed. She knew she wasn't getting anything more from the blonde at the moment. She considered just leaving, but decided against it when she considered the likelihood of Tokyo's beloved young heroine doing something illegal when in this mood. It wasn't worth the chance.

So they crept on, doing their best not to damage the foliage they were sneaking through. Finally Sailor Moon made a shushing gesture to Sailor Mercury, who only glared as she _was _being as quiet as a city girl could be in these surroundings. Her leader then dropped to her stomach and wiggled forward towards a drop-off before them.

"For this I do all my homework and lose sleep at night." She muttered, before dropping to her own stomach and following after the silly girl she was considering knocking out and pulling back to their math, which she was sure the girl hadn't completed yet.

"There's nothing here." She whispered to her partner-in-skulking as she crested the rise.

"Not yet." Sailor Moon checked her watch. "We're about five minutes early. I wanted to make sure we were here in plenty of time."

"... So people are _scheduling_ their 'evil' deeds now? How very kind of them." The genius replied, not even trying to rein in her sarcasm.

The blonde just put her nose in the air. "_This_ one, yes. Now shush. He'll probably be here early, and we don't want him to spot us."

"_He_?" Before she could even get started on her tirade (she thought she knew what this was about now), the object of her friend's concern arrived, proving her supposition correct. It was Chiba Mamoru, and it looked like he was there, in this remote area, to meet a girl. At least, Mercury assumed that the bright pink, heart shaped note he held wasn't something he normally carried around.

Another arrival showed her to be correct once again, as a pretty, older girl hurried over. "Oh dear, I'm not late, am I?" She sounded genuinely distressed at the possibility, and the blonde's so-secret-she-doesn't-even-know-it-yet crush hastened to reassure her.

However, it appeared that was the only reassuring he was going to be doing today. "Kunogi, I only come, despite the note, to tell you I won't be going out with you. I'm sorry, but I cannot accept your feelings. I don't feel the same way, I'm quite sure I never _will_ feel the same way, and I don't want to let you think there's a chance I do. That's not fair to you. I think you're a wonderful person and a great co-worker, but that's all you'll ever be to me. I'm sorry."

The girl, for her part, just gave a half-hearted shrug and a weak smile. "I thought you were going to say that, but I never would have forgiven myself for not bringing it up. Just in case, you know? It's not something I wanted to have hanging over me in a 'what if?'. I really do appreciate your honesty, though. Thank you for at least hearing me out."

He nodded, then left. The girl's smile grew wider and more bitter as he walked off. "Such a gentleman." She muttered to herself, though the lurkers heard every word. "How dare he know I didn't want him to see me cry, and walk off like that? That just makes me like him _more_."

She raised her hand to wipe the tears off her face, then turned and left in the other direction. As soon as she was out of sight, Sailor Mercury jumped down from the embankment, pulling a startled and somewhat smug Sailor Moon with her. She turned of the other girl as soon as both had gained their footing.

"Was _that_ was this was about? A _confession_? How _could_ you? Don't you know she didn't want an audience?"

The blonde looked away, her chin set. "I was worried for her. What if that jerk had decided to string her along? I wouldn't put it past him to break someone's heart like that."

"So what were you going to do, knock him over the head, deliver a lecture to the poor woman, then spirit the unconscious body away?" At the blush faintly visible on her friend's cheeks, the Senshi of Ice felt her jaw drop. "Oh my... You were. You... What sort of uncivilized cave man _are_ you? Did you really think that would _help _anything."

The girl was still looking away, so Mercury just grabbed her by a ponytail and started dragging her purported leader away, muttering to herself. "A bushwhack in more ways than one! For crying out loud, what goes _through _that head of hers? Of all the hair-brained, ill-advised, _illegal_ things..."

* * *

_My longest one yet, I think. Almost a thousand words. Should easily put me over 25k. Yay! Anyway, I hope you like it. Have a great day!_


	75. Epigamic

_Day 75: Epigamic_

* * *

"I don't want her to go." Five pairs of eyes turned to Neo-King Endymion in various stages of disbelief.

"Mamo-chan, we discussed this already." His wife of the past millennium interjected placatingly. "She needs time to just be a child, as well as being important to the future of the past. Chibiusa has to go."

"I know that, I just... It's just that I finally realize why your father was so livid when he found out that you were a Senshi."

"My father?" She looked incredibly perplexed. "What does my father have to do with anything?"

Ami, watching the scene unfold before her, suddenly broke into a grin that promised much teasing for her monarch and friend at the very faint blush to stain his cheeks. "Don't worry, Mamoru. At least the Senshi outfit isn't as epigamic as what she wore when she was Black Lady. The boots are probably better for her back than the heels, too."

He went beet red at that, and muttered something about the Black Moon deserving worse than they got. Usagi just looked up at him, feigning hurt. "But, Mamo-chan, you like _my_ Sailor uniform..."

Rei shot her a look. "Of course he did. He was a young male and you were his girlfriend. He probably didn't like other guys getting to see your legs, but for him?"

The blonde shook her head, pigtails bouncing. "Not 'did'. Does."

Minako let out a wolf whistle. "But you can't transform anymore. How does that work?"

The woman in question shot her body double a wink. "My broach may not work, but the Lunar Pen sure does."

"ANYWAYS," Mamoru broke in, face looking like it was about to combust. "What I'm saying is that I'm not comfortable sending her back to parade around doling out justice in... _that!_"

Usagi glared at him and crossed her arms. "Well, that's just too bad for you then, isn't it? She's been looking forward to this for four years, and now that she can transform, she's raring to go. Do _you_ want to tell her she can't? Thought so. Now behave, or I'll sic Pluto on you for attempting to mess up the timeline."

He paled at that threat, and gave in. An angry Pluto was not something anyone wanted to see.


	76. Premonish

_Day 76: Premonish_

* * *

She was silent. They were sure that wasn't a good thing.

Of course, neither was almost burning down the palace (which was _quartz crystal_), turning the courtyard into a jungle, infesting said jungle with feral animals that only vaguely resembled the lapdogs they used to be, and accidentally animating the statues into bi-polar, somewhat psychotic Tarzan-wannabe's.

Mercury had frozen everything, Mars was hunting down the dogs with the help of Venus (once trapped by the love-me chain, a simple exorcism was enough to turn them normal), and Jupiter was working on restoring the garden to its normal state. Now the six of them waited with bated breath for their Queen to hand out their sentence.

"Hotaru," She says, suddenly enough to startle everyone but the girl in question. "Why didn't you warn them?" It wasn't so much a question as an opening for her to defend herself, and her friends by extension.

"Why should I have?" She replied, lavender eyes sharp in a curiously blank face. Even her voice gave nothing away.

Neo-Queen Serenity turned, facing the young miscreants for the first time since she'd descended from the palace to view the damage. Her face was just as much of a mask as Hotaru's"You placed your Silence Wall around the courtyard. You knew what was going to happen."

"I knew _something_ was going to happen. I did _not_, for example, anticipate your daughter would understand that we were in over our heads and break my wall. That's how the fire spread to the castle and how the dogs got in. I thought we would all stay here, trying to fix out mess, until Mercury figured out how to pull down my shield and froze everything, like she did here. I thought having to deal with our own out-of-control powers would teach us some things about ourselves. I never intended for anyone else to get caught up in it." Her speech was delivered precisely, and her friends thought she must have been practising it in her head ever since the Guardian Senshi had arrived on the scene.

"I see. Need I remind you that you are _my_ Senshi, and that your oath is given to _me_?" The Sailor Quartet and shivered at the tone in their monarch's voice, but their princess, mysteriously, did not. In fact, she seemed to be relaxing further and further as the conversation continued.

"Of course, my liege. However, you know as well as I that it would do no good to premonish us. _This_," She gestured at the destruction around them, "Was an accident. Had you lectured us about using our magic like this, it would have been a challenge."

* * *

_A bonus for today. I've got a birthday party right after work, so I don't know if I'll be able to get a story done. This sprung fully to life out of hearing the common phrase in it today, and I just couldn't resist._

* * *

"Uh oh. That guy's got Jupiter really riled up. She looks about ready to throw a fit."

Neptune raised an eyebrow and Mercury's comment. It was one of the few fights that all the Senshi showed up for. In fact, the only reason the Outers were there was that they were looking for a new car when it occurred. "She's already having a fit." The Senshi of Water pointed out dryly.

Sailor Moon shook her head, watching Jupiter argue with the salesman that wanted her to pay for the cars she'd short-circuited. "She doesn't mean a temper tantrum. She means... _duck!_"

Despite the warning, Uranus had to pull Neptune down as a bright red projectile shot over their heads. It was not the only object suddenly airborne.

"Was... That..." Her normally cultured voice was shaky at she stared at the object embedded in the wall.

"The newest Honda Fit, yes." Mercury just sounded resigned.

Sailor Moon turned to her close friend triumphantly. "And you thought my grades were all we would have to be embarrassed about after the apocalypse."


	77. Callithump

_Day 77: Callithump_

* * *

"We are _THE AMAZONESS QUARTET!_"

"We shall take this dream mirror!"

"And we will end all who try and get in our way!"

"You are no match for us!"

Unfortunately for them, even their innate sense of showmanship couldn't overcome the urge to face fault when they saw the Senshi holding up point cards and arguing good-naturedly at the end of their little speech.

Chibi Moon seemed to win after she silenced them all with her _Twinkle Yell_, creating a silence for long enough to make her point. "It's obvious the winner of this callithump is Tigerseye. He got all the putz points."

* * *

_This is yesterday's. Today's won't be out until tomorrow, unfortunately. It's taking shape, but it's a little longer and more involved than most of them. I didn't want to let Mother's Day go by without a story about it, but I'm thiiiiiis close to faceplanting into my keyboard, and I work way too early tomorrow. Sorry about that. I hope the story makes up for it, once I post it._


	78. Materfamilias

_Day 78: Materfamilias_

* * *

"Ceres? Ceres, love, where are you? I know you came this way..." The pink-haired girl shrunk further back into the shadows, hoping that she wouldn't be spotted by the last person she wanted to see her like this. "Oh dear. Come here, Ceres." Nothing ever seemed to escape the gaze of her favourite guardian, and as she collapsed into the arms held out to hold her, Ceres was glad of that.

There were no recriminations, and she knew now that there never would be. It didn't matter that she'd embarrassed herself and the Senshi in front of the diplomats. All that mattered was the calm reassurance that it would never matter to those who cared about her. That they knew she was doing her best and didn't care that sometimes she was no match for the oily, practised, and cordial style of insults that the politicians used.

"I didn't... I wasn't..." She took a deep breath, hoping to calm down enough to make her point. Even though she knew she'd never be blamed for her actions, she still felt she should apologize. "I never meant to cause that sort of trouble for you. I'm sorry."

She was jostled slightly as the woman holding her giggled. "It's not a problem. You just gave Hotaru the perfect excuse to rip him a new one. The only thing you should feel sorry about is missing her verbal assault. It was very impressive."

She couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up from deep within her at her companion's conspiratorial tone. Relaxing into the arms still tight around her, she thought, _This is what it's like to be supported_.

* * *

"Pallas, what _are_ you up to?" There was a smile in the words, and even the blue-haired girl's eternal smile lit up brighter in response.

"I'm making a teddy bear!" She replied giddily, holding up the mangled-looking bit of cloth that could charitably be considered a stuffed... Something.

Carefully, skirts swishing around her, the newcomer sank to the floor next to the most childlike of the young Senshi. "So I see... It is safe to sit here, right? I'm not going to be pulling pins from parts of my anatomy later?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "It's fine. Pallas still has all her pins. She thinks."

"You think? Why does that fail to reassure me?" A raised eyebrow punctuated the comment, pulling another giggle from the young girl.

"You already have the largest toy collection. Why are you making a teddy now?" The woman asked, intent on finding out just what had caused the normally gregarious child to hide in her rooms for almost two straight days.

Her smile dimmed slightly, and her voice was just a touch heavy as she replied. "Pallas noticed Vesta mourning a dead falcon the other day. Pallas wants her sister to have a pet that she doesn't have to worry about ageing with. Pallas knows that her family won't grow old normally. It's what Pallas and the others wished for when we were younger. Pallas didn't know then what it meant. She wants her baby sister to feel what they wanted to keep, way back when. Pallas doesn't like seeing Vesta sad."

Her companion was quiet for a moment. "Would you like a hand with that? I may not be much help with a needle, but I'm sure I can manage a steady seam. I don't always use the pen, you know."

_This is what Pallas wanted, back when she made that first wish!_ The girl though, as her companion batted jokingly at her hair. _Pallas wanted to know this. Pallas is glad she can now say she knows what it's like to be affectionately indulged_.

* * *

Juno looked over her shoulder as she snuck down the stairs, despite knowing there was no one following her. She'd been planning this for months, and all of her plans had gone off without a hitch. Chances were high that no one had even noticed her missing yet. She didn't intend for them too until she'd gotten what she'd wanted for so long.

Finally she rounded the last corner, and her breath caught in her throat with sheer pleasure. Here, where she'd discovered it almost a year ago, was the hidden treasure she knew she wasn't supposed to know about. All sleek curves and strong lines, she couldn't resist sighing in longing.

Today she was going to take Neo-King Endymion's motorcycle for a drive.

Her hands shook as she reached for it, all the instructions she'd carefully gleaned about hotwiring vehicles ringing through her mind. She paused at the sight of a piece of paper folded up right between the handlebars. It had her name on it.

_This can't be good_. She thought despondently as she opened it.

_Juno_

_Congratulations on escaping so well. I figure you wouldn't be here if I caught you, so you must have managed without even alerting the person who knew you were up to something. Anyway, I thought I'd tell you that this bike is very precious to Mamo-chan. Should something happen to it, he will be _Not Impressed_. That's why I'm leaving you the key. I don't think you've ever actually hotwired a vehicle before, and I don't want to have to listen to him whine about it later. Enjoy yourself, but _you come back safe, you hear_? I hope it's everything you dreamed of._

_Serenity_

The girl smiled as she re-read the note. It was dated almost a week ago, so she knew that she hadn't been too obvious. However, the words still made her stomach jump and her soul fill like thoughts of the bike had for months.

As she sat on the purring machine, helmet and leather jacket on, she couldn't help but smile. _I'm doing this because I want to, to prove that I'm Juno just as much as I am Sailor Juno. Still, I can't help but feel all fuzzy, knowing what it's like to be protected like that. I feel like I could fly, and this thing hasn't even started moving yet!_

* * *

"I couldn't believe how close you got to it! No one's been able to approach it since it showed up here! I'm afraid all the magic must have done something to it." The woman gushed praises at the younger girl with her, cheerfully bandaging the red-head's arm without a seeming care for her usually-pristine white gown. Currently there were spatters of crimson the same colour everyone associated with the younger marring the fabric, but neither cared.

Vesta blushed lightly and turned her head away. "Be that as it may, I still have a long way to go before _he_ will accept me." She stressed the pronoun, emphasizing that even the savage bird had a gender, and should be referred to with more respect than just an 'it'.

She gazed off into space, forgetting her slight irritation in favour of thinking of her newest acquaintance. "He's very confused, and a little hurt. I don't know what's wrong with him, but I _will_ figure it out, and I _will _fix it!"

Despite her words, her voice lacked conviction. Her companion noticed this, and smiled fondly at the girl before kissing her forehead. "Of course you will, Vesta. You can do anything you set your mind too. We all believe in you." It was spoken with such ringing sincerity that the youngest guardian couldn't help but blush.

_So this is what it feels like to be encouraged._ She mused. _I feel like I could do anything!_

* * *

"Be safe, sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too, Mama. Don't worry, I'll try hard to be just as good of a job of being Sailor Moon as you did." it was a touching scene, the two odango-haired royals hugging almost desperately. Chibiusa had finally managed to upgrade from Sailor Chibi Moon to Sailor Moon, a sure sign that she was ready to defend her world, with her Sailor Quartet by her side.

"You'll be better, love. I know you will." Knowing she was as ready as she ever was going to be didn't make things any easier for her mother. Neo-Queen Serenity wanted, more than anything else at the moment, to be able to transform and protect her child, but she knew that wouldn't happen.

They stepped back, eyes misty. The Queen let her eyes rove over her daughter's closest friends then, knowing she couldn't continue to meet her offspring's eyes without breaking down. It turned out that it wasn't as good an idea as she'd thought, since her heart twinged every time she thought of _any _of them possibly being in danger. It was only a routine patrol, but here was always a chance...

Unable to take it anymore, she gathered up all the rest in a group hug. "You be safe, you hear? I want you to bring my daughter and yourselves home in just as good a shape are you are now. I'm depending on all of you."

Her tears were echoed in the eyes of all those with her, but none of them cared. This was too important to worry about dignity.

* * *

Hotaru watched from a respectful distance, smiling slightly. "Jealous?" Came a voice she knew very well in her ear.

She shook her head emphatically. "No. I'm already a full Senshi, and I've never had to do patrols. I don't want to either. I'll miss them while they're gone, but I don't want to join them."

Michiru was smiling, the young woman knew. "That's not what I mean, and you know it!" She chided gently. An arm wrapped around her waist, and Hotaru leaned back into an embrace that was so familiar that she didn't even have to feel it to know what it was like.

"I'm not jealous." She replied, truth ringing in her words. "Usagi may be the materfamilias of the new Senshi, and I may be on the outside looking in when it comes to that, but I don't have to share _you_."

Michiru dropped a kiss on her adoptive daughter's head. "Possessive much? Some times you really remind me of Haruka."

The brunette shrugged. "Only when it really matters. Like you do."

* * *

_Happy (belated) Mother's Day! It's times like these when I miss living at home. When I was in high school, my Mom often knew more about what was going on with me and my friends than I did. I'd get home and we'd chat till dinner was ready. Love you Mommy!_

_(Not that she's ever likely to read this, but it bears repeating.)_


	79. Splenetic

_Day 79: Splenetic_

* * *

"Uhhh... Girls... There's a fight on. Why are you sitting here playing cards?" Jupiter looked at her friend's in confusion, that state only heightened by the fact that Mercury had apparently joined Mars and Venus in their almost-finished game of 'go fish'.

"Usagi fought with Mamoru earlier today. Something about her grades, I think." Mars announced off-handedly.

"Tch! She's been in a temper all day. I love the girl dearly, but _I'm _not dealing with that." Venus agreed, flipping her head in disdain.

Mercury dealt the cards, putting Jupiter in without bothering to ask if she wanted to join. "Let her vent her splenetic mood on the youma. My computer's set to tell us if she actually needs our help. It's not like we're far away."

Jupiter considered this for a moment before plopping herself down on the grass next to her best friends. "Better the youma than us. Venus, you got any twos?"


	80. Animalcule

_Day 80: Animalcule_

* * *

"What's going on?" Sailor Moon whined, swatting at herself frantically. There was nothing to see on her skin, but she could feel the miniscule creatures she knew were there. They were giving her the creeps.

"We're in the process of being eaten by tiny monsters, that's what! Can't you even tell that? And they appear to be fireproof, too!" Mars snapped at her leader, irritated by the pointless question. Well, mostly irritated by the _evil_ little things crawling all over her, but having to deal with the blonde wasn't helping.

Neither was the frizzing that her hair succumbed to when Jupiter did her best to take them out. "Immune to electricity as well, it appears. I'll have to remember that. What about your attacks, Venus?"

The Senshi of Love glared at her teammate incredulously. "I wield a _chain_ and a _laser beam_! Both can kill these things by the hundreds. The only problem with that is we're being attacked by _millions!_ We'll be _skeletons_ before I kill them all!"

Mars was not the only one on a short fuse at the moment. Jupiter just shook her head at the antics of her teammates and turned to her last hope for reason. "What does your computer say, Mercury?"

The girl in question was using most of her attention on holding a small cloud of damp air around her, helping to keep the bugs away. As such, when she smacked them, they weren't replaced. Green eyes turned contemplative as she wondered if the slight relief was worth the magic-overload headache the girl was going to get.

"Not very much, I'm afraid." Even the genius' normally canorous voice was laced with irritation. "They move to quickly for me to get a full scan of any one animalcule."

At this pronouncement, everyone's faces fell even further. They'd been counting on her to give them at least a hint of a direction, and were now feeling very lost.

Their leader began to sniffle. "Wahhh! Now we're going to turn into skeletons! _NOOOOOO!_" As she screamed, there was a faint pulse of light from her hairpieces. That was just enough warning for her friends, who had only ever heard of this phenomena before, to clap their hands over their ears as enhanced sound waved rolled through the area with enough force to make their bones vibrate.

Finally Mars bumped into her, hard. It was enough to break her scream and cause the girl to fall to her hands and knees in the sudden layer of what looked like fine black sand that appeared beneath her.

Mercury raised her eyebrows. "So apparently they're not immune to sonic damage. That's good to know."

Mars helped her leader to her feet, smiling for the first time since the creatures had shown up. "Well, at least we finally found a use for your caterwauling."

The blonde's blue eyes filled with tears at that. "Mars! Why do you have to be so _mean?"_


	81. Irenic

_Day 81: Irenic_

* * *

"... I didn't know Rei spoke another language. Did _you _know that Rei spoke another language?" Minako stared, wide-eyed, at the object of her comment. Said girl was currently tearing a strip off of a guy she'd met briefly who thought he was all that and a bag of potato chips.

He wasn't. She was letting him know that. Loudly.

"I knew she spoke a different language. I _didn't _know she could swear fluently in it." Makoto replied, eyes wide.

"How do you know she's swearing?" Usagi asked, looking confused. Minako snorted.

"Just look at her. It's pretty obvious that's what she's doing, even if we _don't_ actually know the words themselves. As it is, we can just substitute words from our language that are whatever level of cuss we'd like to use." The blonde had an evil grin on her face, considering this. Her look-alike shuddered and decided not to ask what words she was using. There are some things that even public school doesn't teach, and she didn't feel up to learning about them right then.

"I'm still shocked that's she's going off like that. I mean, I know he's a jerk and all, but isn't that a little extreme?" Her chocolate brown ponytail bounced as Makoto shook her head wonderingly.

A snort from Ami drew all their attention to the hitherto-silent girl, who calmly flipped over a page in the book she was reading. "Yes, it's such a surprise that such a sweet, calm, irenic girl would act like this. How _could_ anyone suspect it?"

The three friends all had the grace to blush, upon reflecting on the temper of the girl in question. Ami certainly had a point...


	82. Zeitgeist

_Day 82: Zeitgeist_

* * *

Neo-Queen Serenity stopped dead in the entrance to her rooms. She blinked, stared, tilted her head to the side, and stared some more. Finally she found her voice. "Uhh, what are you guys doing?"

Her confused question was met with much squealing that she was finally there. She found herself tugged into the room, a drink pressed into her hand as her friends held various articles of clothing up to her, obviously looking for something.

"Seriously, guys, _what_ is _up_ with you tonight? Look at you!" The blonde glared at her closest companions, not totally sure that she wasn't surrounded by people that had finally snapped.

Minako just turned her nose up, looking miffed. "I think we look pretty darn hot! What's wrong with our outfits?" The others muttered in agreeance, seemingly annoyed at her.

"What's... What's... _Look_ at you! Ami, you're wearing _leather_! _Black, biker leather! _Makoto, those _can't _be good for your feet! You're already the tallest, and are you even wearing _anything_ under that top? Rei, is that really a skirt? It's _tiny!_ Minako, your _bikini_ shows off less tummy than those jeans! And you're asking what's _wrong_ with them?" The song, which had been just starting, suddenly began the chorus and her eyes widened, if possible, even more. "Are you listening to _Trooper_?" She choked out. Their monarch was on a roll before Rei 'accidentally' spilled her drink on her.

"Oh dear." The priestess said mockingly, not at all sorry. "Now you need to change."

The odango'd blonde barely had time to gulp at the gleeful and slightly unhinged look she was given by her friends before they were on her, forcefully changing her clothes.

Rei mixed herself another drink, ignoring the chaos around her. "It's just, we're tired of the Zeitgeist of Crystal Tokyo. It's relaxing and all, but it's very... calm. We're sick of calm. So, for tonight, we're being anything _but_ calm. And yes, I do think "Raise a Little Hell" is a good song to do exactly that too."

"I'll give you that, but why do I have to wear _this_?" Came the startlingly irate voice of her best friend. The girl was wearing what looked like a gold bikini with a bright red skirt attached. Her hair, normally hanging down in ponytails, was wrapped around itself and pinned to the sides of her head.

Ami frowned slightly, but gave the odd hairdo a fond pat anyways. "I know it's not canonically correct, but after our movie marathon last month, we've been _dying_ to do this with your hair. However, her normal outfit just wouldn't fit with what we were doing, so we mixed them..." The genius was quieted by having Minako pour her drink down her throat.

The blonde then linked her arm with her charge's and led her into a wild-looking jig. "No more lectures! Fun time!"

* * *

_I have that song stuck in my head. Actually, that makes me kinda happy. I like that song. Hm hmm hm hmm hm hmmm hm hm hm hm! Anyway, I hope you enjoy! You win nerd points if you know who she's dressed as. _


	83. Autodidact

_Day 83: Autodidact_

* * *

"I can replay everything that has ever happened to the universe! I can watch wars, philosophies, and scientific discoveries happening as if I was there! _Why_ do I have to go to school, then?"

Michiru felt her lips thin, her current aggravation with her daughter making itself known, even if just barely, on her face. "That's not all you need to know. There are things you can't learn as an autodidact."

Hotaru pouted, not giving in. Michiru sighed, then continued. "We are not to be so solitary as we were. _That_ is why you have to go."

* * *

_Some difficult, do-I-really-need-that-word editing later, and bam! 100 words! Oh, and before I forget again, I'd like to thank all of my reviewers, especially Kellybug, kiwigreeneyes, and James Birdsong, for making this story actually have more reviews than chapters. I finally noticed that yesteday, and it made me go all warm inside. 3!_


	84. Misnomer

_Day 84: Misnomer_

* * *

"... And so we pledge to follow the Sailors, as they are guided divinely. Especially their leader, the Senshi Moon..."

Ami's eye was twitching. A vein in her forehead was throbbing. She was pretty sure that she actually _was_ sweatdropping, despite it not being anatomically of physically possible. The flier for this meeting had promoted it as a gathering place for those whose lives had changed as a result of the Sailor Senshi.

She had not expected it to be what it was. Yes, she had expected some hero worship. They were celebrities in their uniforms. That was only to be expected. But the sheer _level_ of abasement and fawning at the feet of those who were, after all was said and done, still just high school girls, was making her sick. Add that to the fact that so many of those not jumping on the oh-em-gee-Senshi-are-just-the-greatest-thing-evar bandwagon seemed to only be there for the pictures of her and her friends in short skirts.

Ami wasn't sure which horrified her more.

Finally she couldn't take it any more, courtesy or not. She stood up and marched to the front of the room, facing down the leader of this ill-advised semi-cult. "Your suppositions are flawed, your logic non-existent, and your fanatical devotion more off-putting than any actual anti-Senshi rhetoric could ever be. There is too much in what you say that needs a complete overhaul, and I have better things to do than provide that. So I will settle for correcting this misnomer only: They are the _Senshi_, led by _Sailor_ Moon. In the future, if nothing else, I hope you can at least get their _names_ right."

That said, she left the hall. There was nothing left for her to listen too. After all, she didn't think there was any chance of his threats actually coming true. There was _no way_ Usagi would assign her to an eternity as the garbageman of Utopia.

* * *

Memories came unbidden to the mind of Sailor Mercury as she listened to yet another whiny, self-important, unrealistic petition, and the Senshi of Ice had to call on all of her hard-earned reserves to keep from bursting into laughter. As she accepted the paper (which she had every intention of having Mars burn, as had become the norm for particularly bad ideas) she carefully suppressed a shudder at having it even touch her glove.

She shook her head as she left the audience chamber, muttering. "I hate it when the blowhards are right."

* * *

_The first line made me cringe so bad. I had to stop myself from scrapping it, it was that horrid. Of course, that was kind of the whole _point_..._

_Anyway, I hope you liked it. Have a great day/night._


	85. Plangent

_Day 85: Plangent_

* * *

He walked through the desolate city, remembering what it once was. There, on his left, was where the orphanage he'd been sent to after the accident. Up ahead he could see the wreckage of what had once been a hospital. It was the background for his first memory, his first friendship, and his first meeting with Usako, though he hadn't remembered that until much later.

He continued along, time not having any meaning for him at the moment. Everyone else was busy, either working to save lives or trying to minimize the damage that whatever-it-was had done to the city.

It didn't matter anymore. He knew that.

He passed by his elementary school, and remembered what it was like sitting alone during the parent-child activities. He walked past his middle school and remembered the blonde transfer student that had told him "You can borrow one of my parents." He passed his high school and remembered the adoration he received from under-classmen, who by that time had decided he was "cool". Two blocks later he very carefully did not look at a hand extending from under some rubble. He didn't need to look. He could feel in his bones who it was. He didn't even need to see Jupiter appear from the haze and stand over it in silent mourning to know. His vision is briefly obscured by the image of a smiling, blonde-haired boy. His mind can easily recall the lad asking him about his powers, and he remembers with regret his own brush-off non-answers.

"I did mean to explain things eventually. I'm sorry that I won't be able to do that now." His words are lost in the post-apocalyptic haze. He continues on, too restless to stop.

His feet, following the path his earth-sense is guiding him on, take him past the arcade. He winces to see it. He knows Motoki and Unazuki are safe. He can feel his planet enfolding them in a safe cocoon underground. He briefly considers sending thanks for their safety, but finds that he can't The words stick in his mind like a stray piece of food in his throat. He knows why, too. Looking at this destruction, he can't bring himself to believe that there is anything that will be able to answer, or else why would this have happened?

He continues on, and doesn't even seem to notice when a pair of purple boots falls into stride beside him. He smirks internally at the fact that she has to stretch her legs so far to try and keep up with him. Any other time he would modulate his pace into something comfortable for both of them, but today he is feeling anything but ordinary.

Empty, maybe, in a way he didn't even know he could be. That was the only explanation he could come up with for his actions, the only reason he could think of that he was willing to put that un-acceptance on another, the only reason to try and fill himself up with something as pointless as pride over having longer legs.

Eventually they reach the park. He slowed, feeling like this was where he was supposed to be, and turned to his companion. Even when he opened his mouth to speak, however, nothing came out. He knew he had something to say, something to ask, but he couldn't form the words.

Her lavender eyes didn't help, staring at him like they held all the mysteries of the universe, his to be had if only he could think of the right question.

Eventually she grabbed his hand and tugged him down to touch the barren ground underneath. What had once been a beautiful rose garden was now a wasteland, and he mourned that as silently as he'd mourned everything else he'd passed. Then he felt it, surging up from beneath him. It flowed through his feet, up his legs, and out of the hand she still held over the ground. He could feel her own power, coaxing gently in the way he was always astonished such a deadly warrior could cause. Gold and violet spun out, and something took shape between them. It shot up, taller and taller, until it was probably the height of his young companion's nose, and then flowered.

She stood, wrapping the dignity of her position around her to ward off the horror of the last little while like a cloak to keep off the cold. He remained kneeling as she carefully broke off a spray of flowers, which she then carefully tucked into his lapel.

"They're called Fireweed. They grow best in ashes, and are the first things to bloom in a devastated area." She glanced around almost disinterestedly, but he could see the distress she was keeping hidden. "This was where I first met Chibiusa. It will never be the same again, but that doesn't matter. I will remember it as it was, and make sure it becomes the sort of place that can be special for more people later." Her fingers tightened on her glaive, and he was sure her pale hands were as white as the gloves covering them, if only he could see. "I can do that. I am the Senshi of Death and Rebirth, and one is simply not possible without the other. Something will always fill a hole. Maybe not perfectly, but it will happen.

"But you," She looked back at him, and her intensity caught his gaze and pulled him in. _Odd,_ Thought a little corner of his mind. _Her eyes are almost the same colour as this flower_. "You, you can create. There was no seed here originally. You called it, created it, from your need to prove the land wasn't as it looked, that this all isn't how it looked. I just helped it mature."

They were quiet for a moment, staring at each other. Finally, she broke the silence. "Your world will create, with or without you. Consider carefully how you want it to grow. That is your power. Don't waste it."

She left then, quickly being swallowed up in the miasma that clung to the land like a child not wanting to be left alone to their guardian. He stood slowly, mulling over her words. A fogdog broke through just then, illuminating his botanical accomplishment in a halo of pale sunlight. A grin broke out on his face as a breeze danced through the flowers. _My powers, hmm?_

Still smiling lightly, he turned to go find his Usako. The sooner they began rebuilding, the better.

The plant disappeared from sight as he hurried on his way, the plangent beat of his planet's own heart echoing through his bones.

He could do this. _They_ could do this. They _would_ do this. Even devastation like this wouldn't prevent them from making something beautiful. It would just take a little more work, is all.

* * *

_Blame the angst on the word. It had me thinking deep thoughts. That said, I love fireweed, for almost the exact reasons stated here. Plus it's pretty._

_I hope you all liked it. Have a great day. (Edit May 17th: Removed second 'his' from second last line. Thank you to ReaderMarz for pointing it out.)_


	86. Nonplus

_Day 86: Nonplus_

* * *

Though many often joked (not in his hearing, however) that if you looked up stoic in the dictionary, you would find a picture of Kunzite. However, the look on his face as he wandered (since when did the man wander?) through the halls, despite its blankness, did not imply stoicism. Rather, it seemed to imply that, for once, someone had done something to nonplus the man.

That was such a feat in itself that Jadeite decided he was going to suss our what had caused it. Normally he didn't care what the other Shittenou did, as long as they kept out of his way. However, he didn't want to be drafted into figuring out why there were so many earthquakes going on (his room was vibrating almost continually), so he slunk through the halls of the Dark Kingdom, hoping to overhear what all the fuss was about without actually needing to be seen.

So far he was doing pretty well. The earthquakes were getting worse (maybe he _would_ look into that later. He didn't want his ceiling collapsing while he was trying to sleep, after all.), and he was being passed by panicked Youma. However, since they were all running in various directions, he figured they just didn't know what was going on. It wasn't unlikely. What little other members of the Dark Kingdom knew, they tended to keep to themselves.

Such were the thought he was pulled out of when a very frazzled looking Zoisite grabbed his collar and bodily dragged him down the hall. "What do you think you're doing? Get your hands off of me, you brat! Just because Kunzite lets you manhandle him, don't think I'll be doing the same thing. Let _go_!"

He was tugged behind a rock outcropping and pushed into the wall. "Shhhh!" Zoisite hissed, his eyes wild. "She'll _hear _you!"

Jadeite glared at the younger man, but lowered his voice accordingly. "She? Who is "She"?" He whispered, feeling stupid for even doing it.

"Beryl. Them. All of the former. _Any_ of the former." Zoisite looked like he was going to have a breakdown any moment, and Jadeite felt a twinge of sympathy for him. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the younger commander. "_Shhh!_"

He felt like talking just to tick the other off and prove that he didn't take orders, but something in his associate's face made him just nod in acquiescence. He was glad he did as Beryl stalked down the hallway.

It was an epic battle, but eventually self-preservation won out over amusement, and he swallowed down his laughter. It was Beryl for sure, but he'd never seen her like this. Bedraggled, soaked, with rips in her gown and gravel in her hair, it was their Queen like he'd never even imagined.

She was muttering to herself darkly as she strode angrily past their hiding place. Something about "blasted Senshi" who were "wreaking the joint" and "getting _cozy_ between attacks" with "water _and_ earth powers."

Once she was safely out of earshot, Jadeite turned to Zoisite, who was vibrating with nerves. "Okay, _what _was that about?"

"Well, you know how you've been fighting those Senshi?"

"Ye-e-ss." He drawled, not sure he wanted to hear any more. Every conversation he'd had about the (now three!) Senshi had been the others degrading him for failing to deal with them. He didn't think he could put up with that at this time, but his curiosity was getting the better of him.

"Well, I found them. They were, um, _distracted, _and I was able to transport them here. They, uh, didn't like that much. Which they made sure we knew. They were very, ah, _thorough_, in expressing their, er, _discontent_. As such, the Great Hall is currently, well, mostly flooded and a great deal larger than before. Luckily, some of the rubble fell into various of the giant holes in the floor, so clean up won't be quite as bad as it should be. Also, due to that, Beryl is, well, a little ticked off at both of us, I'm afraid." Zoisite had been fidgeting throughout his little speech, and Jadeite figured he knew why.

"_Both_ of us? Why the heck is she mad at _me_?"

The younger man looked away. "Well, she figures that if you'd dealt with them like you said you would, we wouldn't be having this issue."

Jadeite sighed and fell back against the wall, banging his head lightly on it again and again. "You might as well tell me the rest of it. How did you manage to capture them? We might be able to do it again and contain them."

A faint blush mounted the other man's cheeks. "I, uh, don't think that would work. I, erm, don't think they're into starting that sort of, ah, _distraction_, while they're here."

Jadeite just raised his eyebrows. _That _sort_ of distraction? He couldn't mean..._ He coughed lightly, deflecting his mind from the idea that was forming. "Okay, we'll just have to come up with something else then. Did you say the Great Hall was flooded?" At his partner-in-crime's nod, he let loose a low whistle. "The blue-haired one must have been really ticked. Normally all she can do is make fog. I'd have said she was the weakest one."

Zoisite shook his head. "The blonde is destruction personified, but I think the blue one is scarier. There's just something about her that gives me the shivers."

Jadeite felt his eyes widen. "The blonde... You're telling me that you think that pig-tailed crybaby is destruction personified? Are you joking?"

Zoisite gave him a quizzical look. "Pigtails? Who are you talking about? The blonde one has short hair. Like, shorter than yours short hair."

He raised a hand to run his fingers through his blonde waves, confused. "No, she has long hair. Like, longer than Beryl's long hair. She wears it in two buns with pigtails, with a pink ornament on each bun."

The other shook his head, strawberry ponytail bouncing over his shoulders. "No, she doesn't. She has short hair, and there is no pink on her outfit. It's navy blue and yellow."

"_Yellow_?" He questioned, incredulously. "No, none of the Senshi wear _yellow._ She wears pink, along with the blue. Are you sure you know who you're talking about?"

Zoisite opened his mouth to respond, annoyance clear in his body language, when another voice cut him off.

"I hate to interrupt, but I'm afraid that pansy's right. My uniform has no pink."

Jadeite turned, and was surprised to be confronted with a very predatory-looking blonde in a blue and yellow fuku with quarter-length gloves. He saw the panic on Zoisite's face just before she raised her hand.

"_WORLD SHAKING!_" She thundered, and the last thing he thought before being blasted into unconsciousness was _I'm glad I don't have to face _her_ on a regular basis._

* * *

Neptune shook her head at the sight of her lover further demolishing the underground fortress they'd found themselves in. "Uranus, stop that!" She chided. "You're going to bring the roof down on us! Now help me look for an exit."

"Hmpfh!" The blonde replied, but came over to stand next to the other woman anyway. "You were just as bad when we first got here. They _interrupted _us. That means they can just darn well _deal_ with whatever we decide to dish out!"

The calmer one fixed her volatile love with a heavy lidded gaze. "Yes, but you've already had your fun. And once we get out of here, we could have some _different _fun..." She trailed off meaningfully, and the other woman's eyes widened and glazed over slightly.

"... I can make us an exit." The blonde offered, suddenly eager to please.

"Do that. I'm about done with this outfit anyway." She peeled one glove off slowly, and her partner gulped before turning to the nearest wall and throwing everything she had at it. Suddenly she couldn't wait to get out, no matter who she hadn't punished yet.


	87. Connubial

_Day 87: Connubial_

* * *

"You were being excessively sweet today at breakfast. What was that about?" Usagi shot a look at her husband from under her bangs as she asked this, not sure she really wanted to know. He usually had an ulterior motive for things like that.

"Do I need a reason to act on my adoration for my incredible wife?" He replied, shooting her a wink.

"No, but you usually do anyways." She shot back, fake pouting. He could still see her expression in her mirror, despite the fact that her back was turned to him. They were in her sitting room, getting ready for the day.

He grinned, happy to see that adorable expression that she used less and less as they'd grown up back on her face. "You're always so suspicious, Usako. You'd think I was up to something." He glided closer as he spoke, ending up behind her just in time to help with the zipper on her dress.

"You're always up to something." She responded cheekily. "And what else am I supposed to think when you come into _my_ sitting room while I'm getting dressed? You know why you're not allowed to do that, right?"

"Because it makes a bad impression when the monarchs are late." He dutifully replied, sounding like a bored schoolkid. "But if I wasn't here, who would do up your dress for you?"

"My Senshi." Came the prompt response. "If you hadn't scared them away, that is."

"But then _I _would have been kicked out of the room, and _I_ wouldn't have been able to help you out? You see how it works?" He bent over to press a kiss to her shoulder, and she couldn't help grinning. "What do you say we tell the Senshi we're "sick" today, love? Doesn't that sound nice?" She could feel herself wavering, wants and duty warring in her mind. She opened her mouth, but no one would ever learn what she was planning on saying.

Her communicator went off then, cutting her off. She glared at it, but it started speaking irregardless. "Serenity, I know you're there. I know Endymion is too." It was Mercury's voice, and Mamoru felt his lips twist in a wry smile. She _would_ be the one to interrupt them. "I'll only say this once. You have meetings today that you cannot miss. You have five more minutes to revel in connubial bliss, and then I get Jupiter to break the door down. I'll set your communicator to count down the last minute, so you can get yourselves together. That is all. Mercury out."

He buried his face in her shoulder with a groan, but she could feel his laughter in the slight tremors going through his body. She smiled and patted his head. "It seems your nauseatingly sweet little show at breakfast was enough to tip them off. Now let me go. I have to finish getting ready."

"Not happening." He told her, wrapping his arms around her tight. "The pen only takes two seconds. Cuddle with me."

Usagi sighed and gave in. They may not fight any more, but there was still no reasoning with the stubborn man.

Not that she ever wanted it any other way.

* * *

_Some sap. It makes me go "Awwww!" Also, I'm currently at 35k+ words and 100+ reviews! I am so stoked!_


	88. Iota

_Day 88: Iota_

* * *

_I wonder if there are any openings at Ami's cram school?_Rei mused as she attempted to write an essay for her literature class. Attempted, as she was interrupted every few seconds by...

"Why, Mako? Why? When did math become spelling? Why does the letter 'x' have _anything_ to do with these numbers?"

"It's telling us how many there are of 'x', Usagi. See? The point is to figure out what the 'x' means." Rei could hear Mako's temper wearing thin. She'd been trying to explain this concept for a little while now, but it appeared neither of the blondes were getting it.

"Duh, there's one 'x'. It's right next to the 12, see? And doesn't an 'x' usually mean treasure?"

"Not it this case, Minako. In this case, 'x' refers to a number that you don't know."

"Don't know? Is it like those imaginary numbers Ami and Mamo-chan were talking about?"

"No, no, nothing like that. It's..." Makoto trailed off, and Rei knew it was because she didn't know how to explain it. Makoto was decent at math herself, but it was one of those things that she understood better when she didn't try to think about it. Rei also knew she could do a much better job explaining it, but she wasn't being sucked into this. Nope. Not happening.

"Reeeeeiiii... Can you _please_ come help us? Pretty, pretty _please_?"

"...With a cherry on top?"

Rei turned from her essay to glare at the two blondes who were staring at her. She avoided the hopeful emerald gaze she could feel, since she knew she wouldn't be able to resist that. Makoto hadn't brought this upon herself. She was just trying to be nice.

The irate priestess fisted her hands on her hips and glared at her friends. "Give me one good reason why I should care one iota for foolish girls who skipped out on tutoring sessions to hang out with boys? Who missed the entire lesson in school due to sleeping through it after a video game marathon? Who get distracted by every manga, show, cute guy, cute animal, butterfly, or even _cloud_ that passes through their vision? Who..."

She was cut off in her righteous anger by the odangoed one flinging herself up off the floor into a hug. "Because you're such a good friend to us." Came the soft response.

She struggled, she wavered, she even bit her lip, but eventually she returned the embrace. "Alright. I'll help you with your math."

"Yay!" Minako cried, clapping her hands with glee. Makoto heaved a huge sigh, and her eyes thanked Rei for her intervention profusely.

The violet-eyed girl carefully pushed her best friend back to her previous position, then took her own seat at the table the other girls were working on. An evil glint came into her eye then, thinking of what she could still do. "Just remember, you asked for it."


	89. Fungible

_Day 89: Fungible_

* * *

"Sailor Chibi Moon? Just you? Where's Sailor Moon?" Sailor Mars looked down at the girl before her is surprise. The two girls had been planning on going shopping today, so she'd expected them to arrive together.

"Sailor Moon's got that flu that's going around. I don't think she'll be able to make today's battle. Her mother wouldn't let her out of bed this morning at all. Even the idea of seeing Tuxedo Kamen couldn't get her to stir." The pink Senshi looked quite worried, which was enough to set off alarm bells in the fire Senshi as well.

"Is she going to be okay?" The older girl asked, slightly alarmed. The younger one just gave an unconcerned shrug.

"I'm not fading in and out, so it's definitely not life-threatening. We'll probably just have to put up with her being whinier than normal while she's getting better." Mars laughed at the child's wry comment, and the blonde in front of them snapped his attention to them, stopping mid-speech.

"Are... You... _Laughing at me?_" Tigerseye growled at them, not happy with this development at all. In fact, neither of them would be that surprised at the moment if he somehow managed to turn his glare into his infamous knives, it was that deadly. "You will _pay_ for mocking Tigerseye, make no mistake about that! I shall..."

"_MOON TIARA ACTION!_" Came a decidedly unexpected cry, as a bright yellow disk slammed into the back of his head. The force of it knocked him forward, and he fell into the fountain he'd been posing on.

The two girls turned, shocked, to see the odangoed blonde who had thrown said disc. She was currently curled up in a ball on the ground, sneezing and shivering.

Mars slapped her forehead, and Chibi Moon rolled her eyes. Neither were sure if they were more surprised that she was here, or surprised that they thought she wouldn'tdo something that stupid. Finally their leader got herself under control and hauled herself to her feet. The two spectators sweatdropped when they saw the glassy look in her eyes. "Has anyone ever told her there's a limit to the amount of medication you should take in one sitting?" Mars muttered.

Despite knowing it was rhetorical, Chibi Moon answered. "If they did, I doubt she listened."

Tigerseye, holding his head and staggering, chose this time to summon his remless and teleport away. Sailor Moon pointed at the new addition and smirked. "Okay, youma! You asked for it! I kicked all of your butts before, and I'll do it again! Just watch me! Down with the Dark Kingdom!" At that point she gave an anime villain laugh that would put Beryl and Wiseman combined to shame.

Chibi Moon closed her eyes, covered her ears, and repeating "That's not my mother. Nope. No relation." To herself over and over. Mars rubbed her eyes tiredly. It wasn't until she started trying to use _Moon Princess Halation_ on the remless that she interceded. It wasn't so much the sight of her stoned-out-of-her-_mind_-on-cough-syrup best friend trying to attack the creature with the wrong thing that propelled her to action as much as the sight of said blond whacking her Moon Kaleidoscope on the ground, trying to make it work. One Mars Flame Sniper took it out (_man_, was today's monster a wuss. Probably a good thing, though), and she was running for her friend.

Blue eyes fluttered at her, and the lack of coherence in them scared her a little. "Did we win?" Came the breathy question, and the brunette heaved a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, we did. Just, for next time, remember this: Enemies are fungible, attacks are not."

* * *

_I was planning a slightly more involved one, with all the girls, Mamoru, and more comedy at the end, but I'm just feeling wiped today. Should I write it up another time, I'll post it alongside this and let you know in an AN of the story for that day. Hope you liked it, and I'm going to sign off now before I faceplant into my keyboard._


	90. Foofaraw

_Day 90: Foofaraw_

* * *

"Sailor Mercury... _What_ are you _wearing_?" Her fellow Senshi all stared, wide-eyed, at the unexpectedly tardy ice warrior. Sailor Moon, their tactless leader and current winner of the 'Captain Obvious' title, was the only one to find her voice in the face of a rather dishevelled looking Senshi.

The girl in question rolled her eyes. "I broke my toe last week. You know that. The boots were too tight, and I don't believe those heels are good for us at the best of times. You know that, too."

"Um, okay, we can understand that..." After gathering various agreements from her sister fighters, Venus went on. "But that doesn't explain why you're missing your gloves."

"... I play a harp in my attack. A _harp_. With _gloves_. _I'm_ more surprised that I'd never thought of taking them off _before_!"

"Well, usually we're too busy fighting to worry about things like that..." Jupiter muttered, looking enviously at Mercury's bare feet. She had to admit that she missed her kicky little ankle boots now that she had the tall ones. They weren't anywhere as comfortable to fight in, nor as cute.

"So what about the sash?" Mars asked, curious now as to the justification for what she'd done with the hanging ends.

Mercury looked down at her skirts, which she'd knotted at one hip using the trailing strands of fabric attached to the bow on her back. It made the skirts look like a blue beach wrap over a white swimsuit. "I didn't particularly ever think fighting in a skirt was a good idea, but I have to admit that four years ago I'd probably have been to mortified to either fight in just a bodysuit or in booty shorts like the Starlights did. Since I was tripping over the stupid things anyway, having lost three inches with the boots, I decided to kill two birds with one stone."

"Poor birds!" Venus commiserated. "And to think, their only crime was having good fashion taste!" Mercury glared at her, but Venus just stuck her tongue out and turned her nose up.

"Okay, I can kind of see all of that, but what happened to your earrings?" Sailor Moon was clearly not ready to let go of the topic at hand, despite all evidence this was going to turn into a friendly fight over their 'fashion'.

"The studs I liked, but not these dangly things." Mercury shot back immediately. "They're banned from sports for a reason, you know! There are major arteries and veins right where they lie. Get one of _those_ punctured, and even our healing powers may not be able to help!"

"And the tiara?" Venus asked, looking interested despite herself. She'd never realized just how bad of an idea most of their uniform was before this. Not that she really _cared_ when it made her look as good as it did, but still...

Mercury shrugged again. "I figured that if I was getting rid of all the other foofaraw, I may as well go all the way. Same for the choker (whose very name should be a warning) and the sleeves." She turned to Sailor Moon, looking slightly exasperated. "I can't _wait_ till you ascend and we can all go back to our original outfits. I liked those ones _much _better."

Sailor Moon just looked faintly nauseated. "I'm not taking over the world early to satisfy _anyone's_ taste in clothing!"

* * *

_The Eternal outfits are pretty, but entirely _not _practical. The only reason for opera length gloves in a fight is if they're slash-proof or if you're expecting to spend a bunch of time divng to the ground and are worried about roadrash. Plus Jupiter's cute little boots were ust prefect for actually kicking someone. Unless they're completely elastic, the boots she has now are only going to make it harder. Plus she loses her pretty rose earrings. Even after the garden incident with Nehellenia. For the rest of my objections to those outfits, see 'gimcrack'. _

_I still like looking at the outfits. I just have to banish logic first. _

_I hope you like it. I'm rather fond of Mercury's irreverent side. I'm sure she has one, even if it doesn't often get to come out and play._


	91. Physiognomy

_Day 91: Physiognomy_

* * *

"Alright! This time I really have it!" Ami groaned and put her book down after carefully marking her page. She knew there was no point delaying this meeting. It the last few days had proven anything ot her, it was that there is nothing more annoying than a determined Minako whose current sole purpose in life was to beat you.

"What is it this time?" The genius asked, tucking a blue curl behind her ear. She didn't really _need_ to ask, but had learned her lesson three days previously that not providing an opening would result it Minako flitting around her like a hummingbird on red bull, making incredibly obvious leading comments and randomly giggling in a maniac fashion.

The giggles were so incredibly bad they _were_ creepy. Ami didn't want to have to deal with that again.

"I have the perfect face to prove that your weird face thing is wrong!" Minako declared, as she had for the last forty or fifty pictures she'd brought to Ami's attention.

The girl seated at her booth in the arcade just rolled her eyes at the hyperactive blonde standing next to her. "How many times have I told you this, Minako? Physiognomy is simply something that my history teacher brought up due to it being used to examine candidates for the Naval Air Corps before and during the Second World War. I merely thought it might be worth looking into, due to the possibility that it may be of use to us once Crystal Tokyo is established. That does _not_ mean I'm some sort of psychic face-reader."

It was obvious from the glazed expression in the cornflower eyes that Ami had once again lost her friend somewhere during the explanation. Minako just shook her head, and shoved a piece of paper into Ami's hands.

It was a crude looking image, especially since it appeared to be from an old 8-bit computer graphic, enlarged almost past the point where it made sense to an eye more accustomed to seeing things flow. Ami smirked as she recognized the character so portrayed. She didn't even have to look at the face the person didn't have to know what he was.

"His heart and soul are as black and dismal as his face, and his since of humour is as bad as those robes he wears. The two tiny little eyes portray that he does, at times seem to have some emotion other than a homicidal urge towards other creatures. However, their colour indicates that the promise of an actual person beneath all that rage is nothing more than fool's gold."

Minako stared at her, eyes wide. "how did you... You figured out that... He... I... HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A FACE AND YOU _STILL_ GOT IT RIGHT! HOW?"

Ami covered her ears and winced. They were getting stared at now. "For crying out loud, Minako, I've read the webcomic!"

* * *

_Fun fact: They hired a physiognomist because it was 80% succesful in identifying candidates with the traits they desired. _

_Apparently this may be legit as amounts of hormones during the growth years affect the way the body is formed as well as behavioural patterns. The example I found was that people with wide faces tend to be more aggresive, since they had higher amounts of testosterone in their bodies during the formative years._

_And yes, it is currently midnight on the Saturday of _the _party long weekend of the year, and I am at home researching how facial features can be used to discover internal characteristics of the people around me ;). Wow, nerd much?_

_Hope you liked it. Have a great weeked, you hear?_


	92. Slaver

_Day 92: Slaver_

* * *

"And this is the masterpiece of it all, the cake I made for Rei. After all, it's not every day someone turns 18!" Makoto beamed as she showed everyone the results of the previous day's baking marathon.

Rei grinned at the beaming chef, almost happier due to the distraction of the blondes than she was by the impressive monument to a day that she usually considered just another day, despite her grandfather's attempts otherwise. "Thank you. You showed up just in time. Minako's been making a huge deal about my current age, and Usagi's been asking questions I _don't_ feel like answering."

"I'm glad you kept it in the box to show off." Ami piped in. "The way those two slaver over your creations, i don't think the rest of us would be interested in having any if you hadn't."

Makoto winked conspiratorially at her friend. "I know them that well by now, at least. Now, are either of you going to tell me just _what_ Minako was asking for? It's not like she's had problems getting guys to boot for her, you know."

Ami went brick red at this, while Rei sighed and held up her thumb and forefinger in a pincer formation. "I'll tell you only this: I'm this close to telling Usagi to take her questions to Mamoru, despite the fact that her father would _kill_ both me and him."

Makoto blinked, then a light blush formed on her cheeks. "I see. So I should be glad both that I missed it and that I'm the youngest, then."

Ami nodded frantically. "I'm not looking forward to where she's going to drag us on _her_ birthday."


	93. Longueur

_Day 93: Longueur_

* * *

Cold garnet eyes glared at the shorter woman, but the icy cobalt orbs showed no sign of backing down.

All the other Senshi had fled. They didn't want to run the risk of being caught in the middle of this. The only thing that would make it more terrifying would be if Neptune was also involved in the current spat between Pluto and Mercury.

"That was rather... Impolite." Pluto commented, her voice deadly and quiet at the same time.

"Unkind, you mean? I suppose so. You don't have to pull your words with me." Mercury shrugged, but didn't back down one notch. Even the motion, normally implying a lack of stance, only emphasized hers.

"Is that so? If I may say what I like, when I like, why would you have done what you did earlier?" It was a loaded question, and Mercury knew it.

However, that didn't mean she didn't take the bait. "Oh, sure, blame me!" She threw her hands up in the air and glared even harder, somehow, at the tall woman. "We, as a group, may be inclined to prolix in our introductions, but you crossed the line tonight! They weren't even listening to your speech! It was worse than Desdemona's longueur as she died in _Othello_! The youma were playing _strip poker_, Pluto! _Strip poker_! And I walked _in_ on that! That one that was loosing was already in her underwear! _Yes_, I interrupted your speech with an Aqua Rhapsody! I think I'm entitled to preserve what's left of my sanity after having to deal with my sister warriors and all the weird things Chaos has thrown at us in the last five years! And seeing a _naked_ youma _would not have helped me at all!_"

She was panting by the end of her speech, but at least Pluto no longer looked ready to smite anyone. If anything, she looked like a petulant child. "I was _practising_ that speech, you know! It was supposed to be incredible."

Mercury blinked. Pluto was whining? She shook her head, not ready to contemplate that idea. "I'll buy you a plant. You can take that to the time gate and tell it your speech."

The young woman decided she wasn't going to dwell on how happy that thought apparently made the time guardian.

* * *

_At the last moment, I decided to make it a prequel to 'effloresce'. That means you all know what happened to the plant. And, should you not know, _Othello_ is one of Shakespear's plays, and it's firmly ensconsed in my head as the one that makes the least sense to me. Yes, even beyond _Midsummer Night's Dream_. That is simply because someone who has been _smothered to death with a pillow_shouldn't be allowed to have a five minute solliloque on how it's actually suicide, and how much they love the one who did the smothering!_

_*pant pant* Favourite Shakespearian rant aside, several of my favourite quotes of his are from that play. I don't not like it per se, it's just that some parts of it irritate me._

_Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it!_

_PS: Neo Draco? I've read all of Looking For Group. I am now curious as to the actual taste of a monk's soul, want a fork of truth, and I'd also like you to know that I almost dropped my computer laughing at the parody of Egg breaking free from Blue Mountain. (Disclaimer: DO NOT look up anything mentioned it here unless you have a _lot_ of free time on your hands! I was planning on being _productive_ this weekend!)_


	94. Prink

_Day 94: Prink_

* * *

Everyone was jittery. Despite it being a happy moment, Ami was sure most of the girls were only a step away from breaking into tears. Usagi's parents weren't helping.

She held her bouquet to her nose, inhaling the clean scent of the flowers. It didn't help as much as she'd thought it would. She could still feel the nerves (why were they nervous? They'd known, for-sure-absolutely-happening-Pluto-will-kill-you-otherwise known for years) grating down her spine, and she was sure, with things as they were, that she would trip over her heels going down the aisle. She wracked her brain for something, anything, that would make this as much fun as it should be.

Finally she spun and glared at the room in general, a faint smile playing at the edge of her lips. "For crying out loud, if you all continue to prink we'll be late!"

All eyes turned to her, and she could see, in her friends, surprise quickly giving way to amusement. Only Usagi's father, Kenji, still looked stern. "Prink?" He questioned, obviously never having heard the word before.

Ami couldn't help smiling then. It wasn't a common word. She wasn't surprised that he didn't know it. "It means to primp." She informed him, and Rei snorted a laugh.

"Is that actually a word?" She asked, looking amused. Ami nodded solemnly, but the hidden humour in her face was enough to set off hysterical laughter in both Minako and Makoto. Soon the entire room was laughing, for no other reason than to release the nerves that had been building. Ami joined in gratefully, glad to feel the tension ebbing away.

Finally Usagi wiped her streaming eyes, thanked whatever plan there was for the universe for the invention of waterproof makeup, and composed herself. It was time. She had a wedding to go to. Her own.

* * *

If the bridesmaids lips quivered slightly from time to time, no one noticed. If anyone saw the slight shaking in the bride's shoulders every now and again, they didn't comment. And, at the end of the night, when Mamoru finally had a chance to ask what was so funny, he wasn't surprised when his new wife almost collapsed against him, giggling. He didn't mind that she never managed to tell him then. There would be time for that later.

* * *

_Please tell me I'm not the only one completely, irrationally amused by the word. I actually laughed when I read it. Is sounds like the merging of 'primp' and 'pink', but for some reason when I read it it actually made me think 'pimp with pink' even before I got to the definition. *Snrk heh* It still makes me laugh. I have absolutely no idea why I find this word so innately hilarious. _

_I hope it made you giggle too. And if it just left you with raised eyebrows and going 'Oooookay, then', well, it certainly wouldn't be the first time my sense of humour has done that. Enjoy!_


	95. Sojourn

_Day 95: Sojourn_

* * *

Packing was done. Convincing was done. Planning was done. All that was left was the waiting.

And the second thoughts.

"You don't _have_ to do this, you know." The voice was rough, almost harsh, but the young girl could feel the care and worry that her companion was trying to hide.

"Yes I do." Came her response, serene and detached.

The cat sighed and jumped up on her lap, before being gathered casually into a loose embrace. "Minako, think about this. It's the middle of the school year. You don't know anyone there. Heck, you could barely _talk _to anyone there! Your marks aren't exactly the highest ever. This plan..." Artemis sighed, then butted his charge lightly in the chin, offering comfort. "I'm worried about you. About how you'll adapt. About how well you'll do there, out of your comfort zone. It will be hard."

She cuddled him closer, and he could feel the slight tremors that betrayed her own uncertainties, though she hadn't let any of them show on her face or in her manner. He closed his eyes, knowing that it was his intrusion into her life that had made her so good at putting on an act. Even though she'd always been interested in acting and performance, he knew he was the catalyst, and wished she'd had an easier time learning than the trial by fire the Dark Kingdom had put her through.

"I do have to go, Artemis. They'll be waking up soon, my colleagues. My teammates. My friends." Her voice broke slightly on the last word, and the snowy cat felt his heart do the same. "They can't... I can't..."

She fell silent for a moment. He could tell she was trying to make what she _knew_ make sense in words, to put it all down in a way that was logical and sensible. It was another new skill she'd picked up since he'd come into her life, and at the moment he rued his teachings, necessary as he knew they had been.

"I'm Sailor V." She informed him, a watery smile underlying the pride she tried to inflect into her words. "I've already taken out most of the Dark Agency. I got rid of Danburite. They're making a _movie_ about me, and there's already a video game."

Artemis snorted at that, remembering the trouble he'd had trying to get her to train in the beginning. He was rewarded with her normal, beaming smile as she hugged him closer and nuzzled his head with her cheek, sharing a moment few would understand.. She grew distant again, however, as she continued on. "Plus there's my other role." She gestured to her face and hair, and Artemis knew she was talking about being the Princess' double. She fell silent again, and he waited for her to gather her thoughts again.

"I couldn't watch them struggle, knowing the fear of that first moment, the understanding that this is _real_, that this is my _life_ know, and that what I'm doing _could very well kill me_. I couldn't stay here and see that. My actions would be both selfish and selfless, and they would harm the team. I can't do that. And I couldn't stay here and _not_ fight." She arched an eyebrow at him. "You see, _someone_ taught me about responsibility."

He snorted a laugh at that. It was true. Even when he didn't want it to be, it was still true. "Above and beyond that," She continued, staring off into space again. "There is the fact that I'm supposed to be their leader. Not years from now, but _now_, or as close to as it could be. I'm barely thirteen, no great intellectual, as you pointed out, often flighty, troublemaking, and far too overly prone to exaggeration and dramatics. That's not what they need. I _need_ to do this, to go on this sojourn to England, so that _I _can become what we all need most. We don't have time for me to be a child anymore. So I'm going. I'm leaving all my comfort zones behind and going, because I have to learn to stand up without them before I can teach others to do the same."

Artemis sighed, and curled up on her lap. "I know. I understand. That doesn't mean I have to like it."

Minako laughed, a particularly sarcastic sound, considering her last words. "'Like'? I don't think I'll 'like' my situation until my Princess, my charges, and my friends are all safe. Until the Dark Kingdom is defeated. Until the day comes when I _can_ just tell people I'm Sailor V, because there is no danger in everyone knowing it."

Artemis was silent for a moment. "That's an awful lot to wish for."

"It's an awful lot to _work_ for." She corrected gently. "More than that, though, it's a lot to _live_ for. So I've decided that I'll do exactly that, for as long as I possibly can. Perhaps it will never come true, but as long as I'm reaching for that, I'll never be wasting my time or spinning my wheels."

She picked her companion up, kissed his head, and placed him next to his carrier, which he glared at balefully. She giggled at that. "Come on, you know the rules. They won't let you on the plane otherwise. And England is the first step in the rest of my journey."

* * *

_A little more angst, but that word, to me, requires that. It will always imply a long, often painful journey of self-discovery. Probably because the first time I came across that word, it was the title of a book. It doesn't actually mean _anything _like that. It just means 'to dwell in a place temporarily'. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Enjoy your day/night/whatever. I'm going to sleep now._


	96. Clinquant

_Day 96: Cinquant_

* * *

"Look! There she is!"

"She's such a good choice! Aino Minako just makes such a _perfect_ Sailor Venus, doesn't she?"

A slight eye twitch, not enough to be noticed by the squealing fangirls standing outside the studio, was all that indicated that idol and actress Aino Minako was anything less than absolutely _thrilled_ for her first big role to have been in _that _production.

She had been. When her agent had called her to tell her that she was going to be a _main character_ in a _movie_, she had been positively ecstatic. Until she'd _learned_ just _what _movie it was to be.

It had horrified her a little bit. The lines her cheesy, the action felt fake, and she'd even seen the girl who played Rei _smoking_. The one playing Ami had had quite a hard time with her lines. She kept trying to put 'like' in the middle of lines that were _supposed _to be _intelligent_.

So Venus had gotten quite a bit of practice with her actual chain. She lost count of how much "Sailor Moon: The Movie" memorabilia fell before her trusted weapon. She couldn't remember the amount of pictures she ripped. She could feel the callouses on her hand from the links, and it ticked her off as they were so _different _from the ones she'd gotten from that plastic thing, when she'd spent hours throwing it as the girl pretending to be Jupiter messed up shot after shot because she was worried about flashing the bottom of her suit, just under the skirt.

The other Senshi left her alone. It was probably for the best. If she had to listen to Rei mutter "careful what you wish for" again, she was going to rip someone's head off.

When a strange kid with two different coloured eyes came up to her, she glared at him "If I _ever_," She bit out, each word almost its own harsh sentence, "See that woman or her mutated rabbit again, I am going to _strangle_ her!" Still, she handed over the clinquant coil she'd taken from the prop room after filming was complete. She hadn't known why she'd grabbed it at the time, but now she did.

He'd taken it with a rueful grin. "You got off easy. _My_ payment is to work for her."

He walked away then, and she'd suddenly felt all of her annoyance drain from her. Yes, it had been a demanding project with people who didn't know what they were doing. Yes, it had been a lot of work. Yes, she'd been horrified at the casual dismemberment of the last five years of her life, only to see it slapped back together like a body just waiting for lightning to wake it up. Yes, she had been horrified when they'd changed everyone's (including hers) civilian names. It wasn't like they could have _known_ the real ones, but still...

Still...

She smiled. It had actually been a lot of fun, in some ways. She suddenly couldn't wait to get to the temple. She knew Usagi would be there, and Rei lived there. They could stay up all night laughing over her coworkers' hijinks and mess-ups. They could watch her copy (she'd had it since before the movie had even premiered. One of the perks of being a star.) and laugh until they cried, then try some of the crazy stunts the movie had them doing. If they were really lucky, Rei might even light the bedding on fire again (a complete accident brought on my too much sugar, but the new-found ability to literally spit fire had proven useful in the next fight).

"Hey!" She called, and she could see the young man stiffen. He was obviously about to snap off a practised retort before he came to himself and turned to face her, smiling pleasantly.

"Yes?" He asked, and was obviously startled by the tackle-hug she gave him.

"Tell her 'Thanks'." She told him, before rushing off with a whoop. She had chaos to get up to yet that night.

* * *

_...It shoudn't be hard to tell what I've been reading. Yes, this is a crossover. You might see others around, sometimes. SM isn't the only thing I fan madly. I did have them fight a balrog, after all. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it._


	97. Dudgeon

_Day 97: Dudgeon_

* * *

"What's got your panties in a twist?" Rei glared at her best friend, who was currently having a very regal and restrained snit fit.

"The new French ambassador laid a big, slobbery wet one on her had when he was introduced earlier." Minkao informed the brunette from her position on the couch, where she appeared to be losing badly at poker. "It's left her in a state of high dudgeon all day."

"Ah." Rei quickly abandoned her monarch as Makoto dealt her in, not even bothering to ask if she wanted to join.

"I understand he has an eye for the ladies, but that _was_ uncalled for." Ami mentioned, scowling while remembering his leer. She was wearing a _uniform. _It's not like she chose to dress like that. "I mean, the man's almost sixty, married, and with _grandchildren._"

"So says the girl who celebrated her seven hundred and eighty fifth birthday last week." Makoto quipped, earning her a glare from the woman in question.

They play another round while Usagi continues to sulk, Rei having won the last amid groans about "magical fires" and "foresight", before Minako finally pipes up.

"Hey guys, why do we say 'high dudgeon'? Can you even have a low one?" The others stare at her, not quite sure how to respond.

"Well, theoretically, sure. Being in a state of high dudgeon is like being righteously indignant. You can still be indignant without the righteousness." Ami replies finally, when it appeared no one else is going to answer the weird-question-of-the-day.

"Hunh." Makoto replied, accidentally flashing her cards at Ami while thinking over the words. "So when you're acting snooty and above it, that's a high one. What do you think would be a low one?"

"Right down in there, slinging mud with the best of them." Minako promptly replied, and the others blanched at the glee in her voice. This was very bad. They had accidentally given her an Idea.

"No!" Came Serenity's voice, sounding very compelling and not at all annoyed. "As my loyal companions, sworn to protect, serve, and obey, I tell you this: There is to be _no_ 'low dudgeons' or any other childish, troublemaking answers to annoyances. I expect you all to retreat to your rooms and pout like adults."

The of the card-players sweatdropped at her phrasing, not totally sure it shouldn't put them in a dudgeon themselves. Minako, on the other hand, crossed her arms (displaying her cards for all to see, but she didn't care right then) and stuck out her lip, pouting.

"Spoilsport."


	98. Vertiginous

_Day 98: Vertiginous_

* * *

"No. Never again. You cannot. I _forbid_ it." Mercury pinched the bridge of her nose. Mars was rubbing at her temples. Venus was resting her face on her hand. Jupiter was busy cleaning up the mess they had made.

"You can't forbid us from doing our duty, Serenity." Mars told her, looking stubborn. "Should we feel your safety requires it, we _will_ remove your from the situation."

"No matter how vertiginous it makes you." Mercury spoke up when their monarch opened her mouth to argue.

"Endymion would agree, despite the reason for his current absence. In fact, that might even make him more inclined to take our side." Jupiter's eyes lingered on her friend's midriff while she spoke, and the young queen flushed prettily.

"But it's embarrassing!" She wailed, looking for a sign of support from her friends. There was none, and she pouted.

"Embarrassing and gross as it may be, nothing's too much to keep you safe, love." Endymion was back, dressed in a robe and still damp from what must have been a very quick shower. He wrapped his arms around his wife from behind. "You're important to us. We won't let you be hurt."

Venus, who had been surprisingly silent up until now, finally collapsed to the floor, no longer able to hold in her laughter. "You used to _love_ it when he rescued you like that!" She choked out from between her rampant giggles. "All over _him_ and the _floor..._ I can't believe you did that!"

"_VENUS!_" Howled the other blonde, sounding mortified. Mars stepped forward to put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"It's alright. Ignore that laughing loon. We'd all rather you hurled on us than bled on us. It's not your fault rescues trigger your morning sickness."


	99. Toothsome

_Day 99: Toothsome_

* * *

Mamoru was sulking. Usagi knew this. You didn't spend three years with a guy and not be able to tell something like that. She also knew it was her fault.

The looks, the whistles, the catcalls... And that was just when he was _with_ her. She really hadn't felt quite comfortable with the suggestions she'd received while going to meet him. Mamoru had even offered to give her one of his shirts. He'd also given enough glares that she was surprised his face _hadn't_ stuck that way.

Next time Minako declared her outfit "toothsome", she was changing right away.

* * *

_True drabble! It always makes me cheer when I make those. Here's hoping it's a good word for tomorrow, being the centennial day._


	100. Avoirdupois

_Day 100: Avoirdupois_

* * *

"I can't believe you did that."

"Hey, she had it coming!"

"I never said she didn't. I said that I can't believe you did that. Of all the childish, irresponsible, troublesome things... You do know that it's the fault of people like you that our language is deteriorating, don't you?"

A snort answered that eloquently enough, but it was elaborated on anyway. "It would happen even without my help. Besides, seeing all of the people at that gala who actually _work_ for a living trying their best not to laugh at her made it all worthwhile!"

Ami sighed and glared lightly at Minako. "Be that as it may, I'm still not going to easily forgive your for convincing that model that 'avoirdupois' means popular. You _know_ it means heavy! She called richest woman in the country fat!"

The blonde flicked her hair and gave a thoroughly evil grin. "I know."

Ami rubbed at her eyes tiredly. "For some reason, I didn't think even _you_ could use vocabulary lessons for evil."

"Live and learn, Ami. Live and learn."

* * *

_Something funny (maybe. I'm not impressed with it too much myself) for day 100. This word gave me nothing. Other than meaning heavy, it's just the mane for a measurement system. It would be like if the word were 'metric' or something. Since it is 100 days, can I convince you all to review? Tell me which you liked best, or something. My favourite is probably either effloresce or fanfaronade. Or... hmm... It's hard to pick. Though I think "pout like adults" is my favourite phrase._

_Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the last hundred. Now, on to the future..._


	101. Leitmotif

_Day 101: Leitmotif_

* * *

Venus was sulking. Not that this was exactly a new thing, but it was normally when she was nothing more than Aino Minako. In her transformed state, she was usually a brash, bold, butt-kicking, and back-talking menace to all that would aim to harm her, her friends, or the people she had sworn to protect.

Today would be the perfect day for her to be her usual indomitable self. They were currently sneaking into the Dark Kingdom on a reconnaissance mission.

That is, five thirteen-year-old girls in white bodysuits with flashy, rainbow coloured skirts, only two of which had ever snuck anywhere before six months previously were currently attempting to ninja their way into a place called the _Dark Kingdom_.

Whatever may be said about the inhabitants of this place, it certainly wasn't their unexpected and delightful use of irony.

As such, the wonderful stealth of their search had so far resulted in four fireballs, three restarts for the Mercury Computer after being shorted out, two transformed humans, and only one laser-like scorch mark. The only reasons they hadn't been discovered yet was that they were all really, _really _fast, and there were ten clouds of mist preventing their enemies from knowing where they'd gone. Currently they were hiding in an alcove, catching their breath.

"Theme songs!" Came the rather loud and random comment from the distracted blonde, who was currently staring at the wall before her as if it held all the secrets of whatever-it-was that she was thinking about. The others didn't know what it was, and weren't totally sure they wanted too, anyways.

"We should all have individualized theme songs!" Venus turned to look at them, and they all found something pressing to do immediately that would prevent them from meeting her eyes. Jupiter tied up one of her boots. Mercury fiddle with her computer. Mars pretended she was untangling her long hair from one of her earrings. Moon adjusted her tiara, but was first done and, therefore, the one Venus seized on. "You agree with me, don't you, Sailor Moon?"

"Err, sure?" the puzzled princess offered, wondering if it was the right answer. Apparently not, as her friend rounded on her, righteous indignation blazing from every pore like she'd just Crescent Beam-ed herself.

"No, of course you don't! We just get the remix of _your_ leitmotif. And not only do you get most of the recognition when _our_ theme song comes on, but you have another! That catchy little one, the sweet one that shows up whenever you're getting cozy with your MPD masked boyfriend or his evil-and-sexy royal alternate! It's not _fair!_"

There wasn't much any of them could say to that, so Mercury finally broke up the meeting with the news that it was time to move on.

That didn't prevent Venus from sulking. She did, however, finally wake up enough to take her annoyance out on their various foes as opposed to being lost in her bad-tempered introspection. Even if all of her attack phrases _were _punctuated by mutterings about songs that would 'be perfect' for her.

Eventually, however, they found themselves facing a fight they knew they weren't ready for. There was Beryl, standing before them. She looked regal, powerful, intimidating, and very, very angry. Flanking her on either side, like impassive, unliving representations of conscience and temptation, were Prince Endymion and Kunzite. The two groups stared at each other for a moment, the silence thick enough to cut.

Finally, Beryl opened her mouth to speak, eyes narrowing balefully as she did. What she was about to say was never to be known, though, as Venus' voice cut across her, imitating a man's voice almost effortlessly.

"If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will. To see her is to take a sudden... chill!" The lyrical continuation of her earlier preoccupation startled everyone, though it seemed the reference was lost on the three scions of Metallia.

Mercury was the first to break from the second staring contest as she pulled her friends out of the confrontation and into a run behind her. It was a good thing they'd gotten that slight head start, as it turned out. It was a lot harder to run when you were laughing so hard your sides hurt.

* * *

_I like this one a lot better than yesterday's. What a perfect song to put in this number. I'm happy it was a music related word today. I hope you liked it!_

_Oh, and I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, or has done so before. And a special thanks to James Birdsong for answering my query from yesterday so thoroughly. I very much appreciate it._


	102. Catarrh

_Day 102: Catarrh_

* * *

"And so, due to our Queen's bout with catarrh, we will unfortunately have to cancel all of the appointments today. The King is under observation at the moment as well. We know the monarchs have your best wishes, and we all hope for a speedy recovery. That is all." So saying, Mercury stepped down from the podium she was speaking at.

Rei glared at the screen she was watching Mercury's press conference on, then turned to the others in the room with her. They hadn't paid any attention to the newscast, despite being the main focus of it.

"Five... Six... Seven. Oh, blast!" Mamoru glared reprovingly at his daughter.

"You know you shouldn't use such words so casually, Chibiusa. Even if you did just get back from the past, you are a princess here." He told her, though there was no rebuke in his words. It was simply a reminder, and she took it with good grace, inclining her head meekly.

"A princess who _owes me money_!" Her mother crowed, bouncing up and down in excitement. "I even have hotels on that property!"

The pink-haired girl glared at her mother before counting out the bills to hand to her. "Here, you miser! Take it!"

Usagi snatched the brightly coloured papers from her daughter's hand, then dropped a kiss on her head. "Thanks, sweetheart. I knew I could count on you to feed my coffers."

Rei couldn't help but smile at the cozy scene. It was one she saw far to little, but there was still a time to draw the line. "I hope you know I'm burning that game when you're done." She told them conversationally. "It's fun, but you've been at it far too long. You can play Candyland or Sorry instead."

The blonde woman scrunched up her nose and gave puppy-dog eyes to her friend. "But _Rei..._"

"No buts!" She insisted, meeting the gaze of all the royals. "Mercury actually had to go on television to spread your lies! Enough is enough, and _one_ three-day Monopoly game is enough for any life, even one as long as ours."


	103. Intestible

_Day 103: Intestible_

* * *

"Hunh! Just you wait, you young whippersnapper! See if I'm leaving the leadership of the Senshi to _you_!" Considering that this comment was coming from a woman who looked barely old enough to drink, this comment was met with much laughter from the bystanders. Not that the two arguing cared. They were having too much fun fighting to worry about what their colleagues thought.

"It doesn't really matter, you know. I've heard stories. You could leave Senshi leadership to _Diana_, and we'd still be better off!"

"Hey!" Called the kitten from the sidelines, sounding indignant. Even though everyone else had grown up to a sixteen or so year old body, she still looked about ten when she transformed. Her parents told her it had to do with being Mauan. "Leave me out of this!"

Chibiusa shushed her companion and gathered the kitten onto her lap. "Just watch. This is just too much fun."

Ceres glared mockingly at her mentor. "Besides, even if you _try_ to keep me from becoming the leader, I'm going to travel to Kinmoku and get the Starlights. Once they start talking about stalking and entrapment, I don't think I'll have _any_ trouble getting you declared intestible. In fact, the nobles would probably _beg_ me to take over!"

The thought of the stuck up troublemakers the girls all detested working with actually _begging_ was enough to push Chibiusa over the edge, and she laughed she fell off the bench.

She loved it when the Senshi argued like this.


	104. Decollete

_Day 104: Decollete_

* * *

"Are you sure it's okay to wear that?" Neo-King Endymion looked at his wife's dress is bemusement. They were just about to make their first appearance as royal couple, and he wasn't totally sure she was dressed for the occasion.

"It's fine." Neo-Queen Serenity responded, waving her hand airily. "It's traditional. It's formal. It's what I was wearing when I met myself. It's my _royal_ outfit."

He heard the stress on the one word. How could he not? But he continued on anyways. It was worth it to him. "... It's not very _formal_..." That was as far as he got before she turned on him, suddenly the fourteen-year-old spitfire he'd fallen for seven long years before.

"Well, we can't _all_ parade around in waistcoats and cummerbunds, tux-boy! I'll have you know... Oh, for crying out loud!" She could see him mentally spacing, and decided not to let that continue. "_Yes, _I would look cute in a tuxedo! According to you, I look cute in _everything!_ ("You do." He replied, but she just rolled right over his comment) However, that does _not _make anything_ but this dress_ my _royal_ wear! Understood?"

He rolled his eyes. "How come formal, for you girls, seems to equate to things mothers wouldn't want their children wearing?"

She glared at him. "Oh?" There was danger in the word, but he didn't care. She wouldn't actually strangle him. Then she'd have to deal with the diplomats all on her own.

"Short skirts, spiky heels, and the decollete on that dress you have on now..." He gestured to her chest, which she covered with defensively crossed arms. "Not to mention it's backless. I mean, really? Think about it."

She just glared at him, venom dripping from her words. "You leave my wardrobe alone. _I'm _not the one wearing _purple._"


	105. Foist

_Day 105: Foist_

* * *

At first it was just little things. "Can you look over this for me?", "Would you please bring this to so-and-so for me?" They complied, of course. After all, what are friends for? Finally, though, it was enough. More than enough.

"Venus! You plop that behind right back in that chair, you hear? I am _not_ finishing up those last reports for you! And you're not going to foist them off on anyone else, either! I'm warning you!"

The blonde sighed gustily before dropping back into her seat, pouting like a child deprived of a treat. Her blue-haired comrade glared at her, not repentant in the least.

"We've all done more than our part, taking on some of your work these past few weeks." She stated, moving to stand before her friend's desk. She knew she looked like a stern teacher while lecturing, especially with her reading glasses on, but she didn't care. This needed to be said, and she was going to say it. "You are both an adult _and_ the leader of the Senshi. I expect you to act like it! All of us have enough work without you inventing excuses to give us more so that _you_ can go prance around the training ground with the Royal Guard. Yes, I know that's where you were, don't bother trying to deny it. We have _responsibilities, _Venus. Important ones. The people," She gestured vaguely out the nearest window, "_Rely_ on us to make sure their world is safe, well run, and worth being part of. For that to happen, for us to be able to keep the vows we swore, requires _all_ of us." She was silent for a moment, contemplating the still-sulking woman before her. Finally, she sighed, sounding defeated.

"Alright. If you really, _really_ don't want to do paperwork, I'll see what I can do for you." Three heads shot up at this, the two spectators suddenly becoming far more interested in the outcome. They couldn't believe Mercury would reward shirking...

"Really?" Venus asked, eyes shining.

"Of course." Mercury replied, patting the blonde head. "Everyone should do what they're best at." Mars and Jupiter had their mouths hanging open now. They couldn't believe they were hearing Mercury say this.

That is, they didn't believe it until she turned her head towards them, a decidedly evil glimmer in her eyes. "I'm sure Mars will do your paperwork if you agree to go to the Law Association's AGM for her. It's three hours, usually. What do you think, Mars? Can you finish up the paperwork if I change that around?"

mars felt a matching grin tilt the edges of her own lips up. "I'm sure I can fit it in. For a friend."

The horrified look on Venus' face was the last straw, and Jupiter actually fell off her chair from laughing.


	106. Panagram

_Day 106: Panagram_

* * *

"So remind me, _why _are we running around Tokyo in short skirts at three in the morning a week before New Years?" Sailor Moon whined as she tucked her hands under her arms, hoping to warm them up a little.

"Training." Mars replied blandly, but Moon could see the fire wielder's smirk in her eyes. It wasn't like the raven-haired girl had a problem. She was perfectly capable of keeping herself warm.

So was Jupiter, and she responded to her leader's unspoken complaint with a hearty backslap. "If you're cold, it just means you're not running hard enough." She informed the miserable girl, her good cheer obvious in her eyes. She was panting lightly, having just completed yet another pointless sprint that seemed to be for the sole purpose of the run itself.

"Besides, we need the practice." Mercury replied absently, typing on her computer. She wasn't having any problem with the cold. It was her element. It would never harm her.

"Well, lets get at it then!" Venus was doing her best to be her normal irrepressible self, but Sailor Moon could see the slight tremors running through her and the paleness of her lips, both saying that she wanted this to be done with _now_, because she was _cold_.

Sailor Moon smirked internally at not being the only one to suffer. Venus just continued on, not noticing the amusement she was providing. "After all, the early bird jumps over the lazy brown dog!"

Mars choked on her tongue. Jupiter, who had been bouncing on the balls of her feet before this announcement, slipped on a patch of ice and ended up on her rear in a snowbank. Mercury covered her face with her free hand. Moon just looked at her friends, having been to busy contemplating the cold to realize just what her companion had said.

"Venus!" Came Mercury's muffled voice, rather plaintively, from where she was standing with her head still in her hands. "That's a panagram, not a parable!


	107. Pecksniffian

_Day 107: Pecksniffian_

* * *

The girls exchanged looks with each other, obviously trying to decide the best way to cut the upstart before them down to size. "So," Began the leader, faking interest, "You... Play volleyball? And sing? What... _interesting_ hobbies for a young woman of _class_ to have."

The other girls smirked, looking down their noses at the blonde before them. The girl in question was currently lounging at her desk, not seeming to be bothered by all the attention she was receiving. She didn't even seem to be aware that it was negative attention.

Rei knew better, though. It was a good school, a private school, and a religious school. All of that combined should have warned anyone that there would be no limit to the amount of condescension the girls would place on one they viewed as an inferior.

The priestess sighed, knowing she was going to have to go rescue her companion soon. She could sort of understand the allure or an elevator school, but she really didn't think not having to take entrance exams was worth some of the other things she had to put up with. Still, there was, as ever, no explaining this to Minako.

"Ah, yes. They do manage to keep me occupied, I agree. Still, I haven't exactly had the time for volleyball recently. I've been rather busy." The girl looked completely out of place in her middle school uniform, all bright blue and gold in the middle of the grey and black of the other females around her. Rei noticed her smirk then, as Minako sent her friend a hidden wink. The brunette smiled and leaned back in her own seat. She was willing to let the blonde dig her own hole. It would be interesting, to say the least.

"How about you?" The apparently oblivious interloper continued. "What do you do in your spare time?"

"I have cram school, and choir club, and formal events that my father gets invited to." The ringleader replied, sounding faintly startled. She hadn't expected the questioning tables to be turned that easily.

"Hmm." The blonde mused, coiling up from her lounging position to brace her elbows on the desk, holding her chin and tapping her lips thoughtfully. "Most crams schools don't go past four hours, and few are on every night. Especially since you aren't looking to take entrance exams anytime soon. Choir, like most club activities, lasts about an hour. So that means..." She trailed off, obviously adding up the numbers in her head. "That means you spend about two hours every day, and more on the weekends, thinking of absolutely nothing other than your social standing. And even then, it's not _your_ social standing. It's your father's." She smiled sweetly at the other girl, who was currently fuming. "Is that what this is about too? Your social pecking order?" She waved an airy hand at the girls surrounding them, much to the horror os said spectators. "Really, what does it say about you that you automatically assume anyone new is a threat to your supposed popularity? Did it ever even occur to you that, just perhaps, I have _better_ things to do with my time than either challenge or court a social leech?"

Minako stood up quickly, causing the other girls to step back. She paused then, her smile turning predatory as she let them stew in how quickly they'd giver her control of this confrontation. "If you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I have no more time for your pecksniffian barbs. I have to go to work."

"Work?" Questioned one of the shyer ones, in a confused tone.

Minako turned her exasperated expression on her new target, but it was softened slightly as she considered the girl before her. "Yes, _work_. You know, how every honest person in the world gets their money from. Ask your teachers if you're unfamiliar with the concept. I'm _sure_ they could explain it to you. Now, it's time for me to be on my way. The police commissioner is expecting me, and it wouldn't do to keep her waiting."


	108. Wiredrawn

_Day 108: Wiredrawn_

* * *

"When do we get to stop living double lives again?" Ami asked, collapsing onto the table at Rei's. She wasn't the only one feeling like she'd been ground up and spat out. Last week they'd fought the minions of some guy who could control metal (Venus and him had quite a tug-of-war over her chain. She'd finally gotten it back after Crecent Beam-ing him), and the week before that it had been some crazy scientist who had managed to weld octopus arms to his back. They were in university now too, which didn't help their work load at all. "My mother asked me today why I had to do homework tonight. She knew it was assigned almost a week ago. She _doesn't_ know we were battling an insane frost giant/Norse god last night! Ugh, these wiredrawn lies are going to break soon. You know that, right?"

Rei reached out to run her fingers through her friend's short hair, soothing the girl's anxiety with the motion. She was lucky enough that her grandfather could read the fire. She didn't know what, exactly, it had told him, but it was enough that he never tried to stop her, just had tea ready for her when she got back. Still, she could see how the strain was wearing on her friends. The people in their lives didn't know, couldn't understand the importance of their mission.

That was how it would stay. Regardless of how trying the lies and the double lives were, that was how it would stay.

That was what they were doing it for, after all.


	109. Catercousin

_Day 109: Cater-cousin_

* * *

The first thing that needed to be done, after the Sailor Quartet was awoken, was to accustomize them to normal life. This took many forms, including chats, lessons, manga, movies, philosophy studies, and the dreaded 'walk-with-the-queen-while-she-natters-on-endlessly-about-things-like-high-school-and-arcades'. However, they'd learned quickly to appreciate when Neo-Queen Serenity was called away, and either Sailor Mercury or Neo-King Endymion were delegated to take them on the rounds. Both had a dry, understated humour that was all the more refreshing after having to listen to the queen. They loved their monarch, but at times she was just too much.

So it was today, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when Sailor Mercury pulled her away, promising to take over the 'educating of the youngsters'. After finally shooing the blonde back to her duties, the young woman smiled conspiratorially at her young charges before leading them off. "Who remembers what I showed you last week? Pallas? Juno?"

"Sailor Mercury showed Pallas and her sisters what a sulk was." The blue-haired girl chirped, obviously excited.

"You had us observe Chibiusa after fighting with her mother." The red-headed youngest piped in. "It was so that we'd know when something was actually wrong with our charge, as opposed to just a bad mood."

"Correct." Mercury replied, nodding once. "What are the signs of a sulk? Ceres?"

"To act despondent or disinterested as a way of getting attention drawn to the fact that the person isn't happy. They often snipe, glare, or slouch. As well, despite saying things like 'I don't want to talk about it', they tend to go on at length about what's bothering them, given any sort of encouragement to do so."

"Good enough. The rest will come with practice. Now, for today, we're... _DUCK!_" She pushed the girls to the floor a a book flew through where they were standing just previously. They could hear, from the open door on the other end of the hallway, Venus' voice. She sounded angry. Very angry. Something about cold eggs. And high heels that pinched.

Mercury sighed and continued, squirming herself forward on the floor. "Today we'll observe it's cater-cousin, the temper tantrum. Now, remember to keep out of Venus' line of sight. I'll have some illusions up, but it's never a bad idea to practice your lurking skills."

Vesta grinned, already wiggling her way along the floor after their chaperone for the day. "This is my kind of lesson."

* * *

_Yes, I am late. Very late. However, I'm still feeling completely worn out after that thing they pulled with my shifts. Besides, they way Monday went, you probably wouldn't have enjoyed anything I posted then. Not only was I sleep deprived, but I apparently pissed off some sort of karmic deity something bad. Even when I was told, at work, that our manager's boss was 'very unhappy' with us, my level of care was somewhere between "Great, she can do my shift and show us how it's done" and "Great, lets light this place up and wipe this eyesore from the face of the planet'. _

_Although, my coworker thought the second one was a good idea. I also definitely wasn't the only one having a bad day. At least I didn't have to chase and escaped budgie around the HMV. All in all, it was a very Garfeild Monday. Yesterday there is no excuse for, except that I slept in. For a very long time. Then did nothing productive. Then had to go to work. _ No, Beloved Dawn is _not_impressed with her work at the moment. _

_Anyway, sorry for the wait, and sorry for the rant. I hope they were worth waiting for. Have a great day, and enjoy!_


	110. Lucubrate

_Day 110: Lucubrate_

_Rating: probably a T for this chapter, due to Minako's mind and ability to mishear. I don't want to change the actual story rating, though, since else I'd have much more risque humour in here. I'm trying to wean myself off of that, as it can often disguise weak writing._

* * *

Makoto looked a wreck. All of them could see it. She seemed tired, worn, and very distracted. She'd actually burned the cookies she was making the previous day. In nothing else, that would have been enough for her friends to worry. There was more, however. Lots more. When they asked, though, she just waved them off, saying it was nothing.

That, she told herself, was the reason she was in the position she was in right now. It wasn't that she didn't step back fast enough. Rei had declared herself no-way-no-how-nu-uh-not-happening against joining in their little mission. Usagi had plans with her family that she couldn't get out of (there was _no way_ her father was letting her spend the weekend home alone while Mamoru was in town. Mr. Tsukino was protective like that) so she couldn't be there. That left her and Minako carefully scaling the outside of a building in an attempt to break into their friend's apartment.

Ami was sure there was a better way to do this (like the _doorbell_), but Minako had insisted that they needed the element of surprise to figure out what Makoto was up to. Ami didn't agree, but had been afraid of what the other girl would do unsupervised. Which was how she ended up clinging to bricks and walking along a thin ledge on the tenth floor. Even the thought that she could transform before she hit the ground didn't make her feel any better.

They try to sneak in, but that never works with Minako around. Instead, they fall through the window, startling the tall brunette in front of the computer into jumping to her feet. Only Ami's quick "Makoto, wait!" Saves them from a painful lesson in the appropriate ways of entering a friend's apartment. Instead, the shocked homeowner stares at them like she can't believe what she's seeing.

"Minako... Ami... What are you guys doing here? You do know it's," She glanced at the clock, eyes widening as she read the display. "One... in the... morning?" She stuttered slightly, seemingly shocked by the time.

Ami untangled herself from her blonde friend and stood up. "We're worried about you. You don't look like you've been sleeping, and you wouldn't tell us why. So this one," She hooked a thumb at the other member of the group, who was currently scooting over to see what was up on the computer. Makoto glared at the girl, but was ignored. "Decided we needed to come see what you were doing. That's why we're here."

Makoto blushed. "Oh, um, that... It's nothing, just... I thought... It's..."

"It's the essay required by the scholarship and bursary office for them to consider you for funding." Minako broke in, scanning the computer.

"How do you know that?" Ami asked, curious. Minako hadn't applied for any scholarships, except through her police contacts. The genius was surprised that the blonde even knew what to look for.

Minako shot her a wry look, correctly interpreting the tone of the question. She gestured to the paper beside the keyboard. It was an official page from the office itself listing the criteria for application. Ami grinned, before heading over to the computer to read what was on it.

"It's just... I wanted to do it myself. This sort of thing, what they're asking for... Well, it's just rather personal. I don't mind you reading it, but if I got your help, it wouldn't be _mine_ anymore. At first it was going okay, but now it's getting worse and worse as I write it. I just can't make it make _sense_, and..." Makoto blabbered, obviously worn to a thread.

Ami smiled at her before saving the file and turning the computer off. "That's true, but staying up all night working on it won't help. You need sleep." She pushed the girl backwards until she'd plopped down on her bed. "And to make sure you get it, we'll be spending the night. There's no school tomorrow, and I'm not going to let you leave this bed until you've had at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep." She motioned for Minako to grab the spare futons from the closet, knowing they'd been left there during the temple's renovation the previous month.

Makoto smiled at her and rolled her eyes, her exasperated expression somewhat ruined by the huge yawn that seemed to split her face. "No arguing with you, is there?" She muttered, only slightly rebelliously.

"Nope." Ami smiled at her friend, before becoming more serious. "It isn't good to lucubrate, Makoto. You..."

"Sure it is! I've heard it keeps things from hurting." Minako broke in, having just returned. She stopped in the doorway, obviously mentally replaying the conversation in her mind. "Wait, what? Makoto, have you been up to more than essay-writing?"

"Mi_na_ko!" Ami howled, though careful not to let her voice actually get loud enough to disturb the neighbours. "That's _not _what I said!"

Makoto snorted sleepily. "...Never changes, does it? I..." She trailed off then, her breath quickly evening out into a deep sleep. Ami and Minako made their beds and got into them, both silent. Ami was fuming, but Minako was more puzzled.

"Hey Ami? What _did_ you say, then? Cause I could have sworn it was..." She was interrupted with a pillow to the face.

"Good _night_,Minako." The blonde huffed and rolled onto her side so her back was facing Ami.

"And you say I never want to learn."


	111. Umbra

_Day 111: Umbra_

* * *

"Fancy seeing you here, Princess. Is there a reason why you're hiding behind this bush?" The redhead didn't even look around, though the newcomer hadn't made a sound while approaching. She just twined one delicate fist in his uniform shirt and dragged him right next to her.

"Be quiet. They'll hear you if you don't hush up." Her crimson eyes flickered over to him, holding a friendly admonishment in them.

"So, in other words, Princess Serenity doesn't know you're here, does she?" The blonde shook his head reprovingly, but obediently lowered his tone. His lips quirked into a small smile as he spoke. "How is it that we Shitennou know you and your fellow Senshi's movements better than your liege, Sailor Mars?"

"Probably because you're not the one sneaking off to a different planet, one we're at odds with politically, to cuddle with the person most likely to make this a huge incident when the rulers find out." She shot back, obviously amused. They had this same conversation, just saying different parts, when Prince Endymion came calling on the moon. The eight guardians had an understanding, one which allowed them to follow and protect their wards even when the foolish royals tried to slip away.

"Fair enough." He allowed with a smile. "I still don't get why all of you follow Serenity all the time, though. Usually we just send one to watch Endymion and one to call him back when his time is over. The other two stay to cover."

"Exactly." Mars replied, unusually solemn. "You don't keep as close an eye on your ward." She raised her hand to hold off the comment he was about to make, wanting to make her point first. "That's fine for you. Endymion is a warrior, and is tied to the earth itself. With even just one of you around, he would likely be a match for any group of assassins, at least until help arrived. Serenity is not. We are all around all the time because if _anything_ goes wrong, one of us _must_ notice and _must_ be there before it harms her. That applies as much on your turf as it does on ours. You're trained to fight alongside the person you're protecting. We're trained to fight before them." She smiled at him then, taking any sting out of her words. "It's just different, that's all. Consider us her umbra, just as much a part of her as her own shadow. Venus is just about to appear, though, so I'll say farewell now."

Jadeite smiled at her. "Farewell, Princess. I'll see you next time, probably. It's my turn to trail him when he comes to call."

* * *

_... It occured to me today that I don't think I've done a Silver Millennium one yet. I'm using the hair and eye colours that match the Senshi colours, as I think (I'm sure I read it somewhere) it was originally intended for that time period._


	112. Kerf

_Day 112: Kerf_

* * *

"Makoto! I can't get this to break properly!" Usagi whined, looking forlornly at the this sheet of candy she'd made earlier. Minako had already managed to shatter her first sheet, and was munching grouchily on the shards. Rei's had melted into a gooey puddle on the table, as the priestess had lost control of her temper enough for her powers to get away from her. Even Ami, normally imminently reasonable and calm Ami, was looking like she'd prefer to throw her sheet out the window rather than try anything more with it.

"Here." She chef replied, taking Usagi's candy from her hands. "I told you, you use the ruler and knife to score it like _this_," She illustrated with a quick slice, "Then you brace it on the edge of the table like this, then, using your whole hand, you push like _this._"

_Snap!_

"And there you have it!" She beamed at her friends, all of whom stared at the neat, straight edge of the candy as if it was a personal insult. Ami was the first to respond, shaking her head irritatedly.

"You make this look too easy, Makoto." The genius replied. She could follow a recipe like no other, but wasn't yet used enough to being in the kitchen to be able to adjust to different feelings from the food. Makoto had high hopes for her, though.

"So all of our annoyance was just because we forgot the kerf or didn't press evenly enough?" Rei demanded testily. She glared at the puddle before her, knowing she'd have to wait for it to harden again before she could do anything with it.

"Pretty much." The tall brunette answered, trying to sound just factual. Some of her smugness crept into her tone, however. The violet-eyed girl gave her the evil eye, before a smirk slid onto her face. One slender finger twitched, but that was all she needed to flick the sluggish mess before her at her more culinary friend.

"Rei!" Shreiked Minako, holding up some of of her blonde hair. "You got _me_! You got Makoto, but you also got me!" She fired back immediately with one of her own candy shards, managing to catch the perpetrator on the nose.

"This is probably not going to end well." Ami muttered, slinking out the door. Just as she left, she heard Makoto's angry howl.

"My _kitchen_!"


	113. Arroyo

_Day 113: Arroyo_

* * *

"Sailor V, it's not that I don't appreciate you coming to my aid, I really do, it's just... Don't you think that was a little bit of overkill?" Natsuna Sakurada looked imploringly at her young employee and sometimes conspirator. "I mean, I know they were mob bosses, and I know they were threatening me, but they were still just _humans_."

The blonde girl pouted, suddenly looking very much like her twelve years. "But they were threatening _you_!" She emphasized, making the older woman blush. "I don't want anything to happen to you! I wasn't sure if I could take them out with my fists before something _did_!"

Natsuna sighed and put a hand over her eyes. "I appreciate that, Sailor V, really I do. It's just..." She trailed off, then gestured to the destruction around them as she continued. "Did you _have _to turn my backyard into an arroyo?"

* * *

_...Saw _X-Men: First Class_ today. Am currently having trouble focussing on anything else._


	114. Cosher

_Day 114: Cosher_

* * *

Minako was sulking. Again. It had been for the better part of two days now, and her friends were getting annoyed. They knew why she was sulking. That did nothing to improve their outlook on the situation, however.

Rei, unsurprisingly, was the one to eventually call her out on it. "Minako! We've had it up to _here_ with you and your drama!" She made a slashing motion with her hand at about eye level. "It was an _accident_, Makoto _apologized_, and there is simply _nothing more to be done_ on this subject!"

"I didn't know you'd 'claimed' that youma." Makoto inserted. "If I had, I'd have attacked a different one."

"She did make you cookies." Usagi piped in, hoping to calm her friend down finally.

Minako, however, was apparently not ready to be soothed. "But he... It... Broken..." She sputtered, apparently still too angry to make complete sentences around the incident.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Ami broke in, frustrated. "Minako, _you_ are the one that tried punching him, so your broken nail is _your _fault! We were in the middle of a _battle!_ Even normally we don't have the time to cosher to your antics!"


	115. Orison

_Day 115: Orison_

* * *

A sense of serenity permeated the shrine, obvious to all that passed through its gate. Papers fluttered softly in the breeze, creating a quiet background to noise that only enhanced the subtle feeling of benign otherworldlyness that blanketed the area. Two ravens kept watch from the temple roof, looking strangly like tey were fully aware of everything going on around them. And inside...

"Ugh, aren't we done yet? Why do you have to have so many chores, Rei?" Whined the blonde with the odd and unique hairstyle.

Makoto shrugged and grinned at her deflated-looking friend. "Any property has upkeep, Usagi. The temple is large, so it has lots. There's only three people here all the time, remember? And one of them," She inclined her head to her priestess that was kneeling by the fire, "Is in school, plus hangs out with us. Of course they're going to try to get a lot done while we're here to help."

"Why do we have to be their unpaid slave-labour?" Minako groaned, straightening exaggeratedly from where she was cleaning the floor.

"It's only fair." Ami chimed in from over by the windows. "We are the ones that stole Rei away, after all. There!" She beamed at the gleaming window, satisfied with her job.

Usagi rolled her eyes before assuming a kicked puppy face. "We did the windows, the floors, the laundry, the washroom, and the grounds. Can we _go_ now?"

"Rei's still in the middle of the purification ceremony for the new charms. She can't just leave them." The tall chef looked horrified at the very idea.

"Pff! She just wants to get out of the _real_ work." Minako scoffed, glaring fondly at the girl by the fire. "Yo, hurry up and finish your orison! Motoki's got a milkshake with _my_ name on it, and I want it _now_."

Rei, who had actually just finished, turned to the indignant blonde with an evil smile. "I'm afraid you interrupted me and destroyed the ceremony." She told them, face carefully set into serious. "I'll have to start over now."

"_NOOOOOO_!" Came the matching indignant wails of the over-excitable blondes. Ami just shook her head and turned to the grinning brunette beside her.

"When will they learn 'don't feed the trolls' is just as applicable off-line?" She asked ruefully.

"Hopefully before they have to run the world." The girl replied, green eyes flashing with good humour. "Else we're in for a heck of a mess."

* * *

_... My geek is currenly wailing that _Bless _is a first level spell. Should you understand what I mean, kudos to you. To everyone else, just ignore it. The chances of accurately wading through online for this are low, and I'm sure you have less frustrating things to do with your life. Anyway, I hope you liked the story. Have a great day!_


	116. Crotchet

_Day 116: Crotchet_

* * *

Ami rubbed her eyes and cursed lightly. Silently, though, as she didn't want to be held responsible for teaching the little terror bad habits. "Alright, I give up. What are you playing, Chibiusa?"

The toddler raced over to her guardian, latching her grubby hands into the leg of Ami's pants. "Sair Moown! Aunty Ami pway? Be Tuskeedoo Mast?"

Ami's lips twitched slightly at the wording of the girl's request. From the toy schoolbus, she figured Rei would be more suited to this particular game. "Oh, sweetheart. Why do your crotchet ideas always fall when _I'm _watching you?"

* * *

_100 words! _


	117. Brindled

_Day 117: Brindled_

* * *

"Diana!" Chibiusa cried, excited to see her friend again. The kitten had been filling in for Pluto for the last month, while the Senshi took a 'humanizing leave' at the suggestion of the monarchs. The idea was that a couple weeks worth of vacation would help protect the woman's emotional stability. Neither Serenity nor Endymion wished for her to become as remote as she had been when they'd first met her. It had taken some convincing, but after a full week of Usagi showing up at the time gate and pleading, the solemn warrior had finally consented.

However, the appearance of the kitten heralded the return of the Guardian of Time to her long vigil. The pink-haired princess rushed to pick up her friend, while making a mental note to visit Setsuna in a week or so and ask how the vacation went. She stopped halfway across the room, however, upon noticing the discolouration previously camouflaged by the Mauan's normally grey fur. "What's up with the brindled fur, Diana?" She asked, puzzled and slightly worried. There shouldn't have been anything near the time gate that could cause that.

The kitten glanced at her fur before screwing her face up into what would have been a ferocious scowl had it come from anyone but a Nermal-like fluffball. "Some idiot in another dimension decided that the best way to rescue his girlfriend from the cave-dwelling cannibals was to blow up his time machine. I got a little too close while watching, that's all."

Garnet eyes blinked, their owner startled. "Diana, that's a gateway in time itself, as well as a crossroads for dimensions. Do you really think it's appropriate to use it like a giant TV?"

* * *

_Adjective: Grey or tawny with darker spots or streaks_

_KittyAttack reminded me that I should do this, since I don't always make them clear. I'll try to remember, but I may lapse now and then._

_Side note: my fingers ache. The bow I used today was _much _heavier than the one I have been using. I am going to feel this in the morning. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story. Have a great day!_


	118. Abut

_Day 118: Abut_

* * *

"What are you doing here? This is my protectorate." The blonde narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at the teal-haired woman across from her. She didn't think there was any danger, but this was out of the norm.

"What am I doing here? Why, I am merely guarding my territory." At the sharp glance from the other, she continued. "This is still my territory. It is simply the area of it that happens to abut to yours."

Green eyes widened, then narrowed speculatively. This... could prove to be interesting.

* * *

_Verb: To be adjacent; touch or join at the edge or border._

_Short, but I like the feel. I hope you do too. Have a great day, everyone!_

_(Edit: I could have sworn I posted this yesterday. It was uploaded and everything. I blame my boss. She's the one that woke me at 6:33 AM. Sorry about that.)_


	119. Eisegesis

_Day 119: Eisegesis_

* * *

One thing Ami had, and had lots of, was patience. She'd managed to get both Usagi and Minako into and out of high school. She could paint. She could spend hours on homework, or memorizing medical charts.

Despite all of that, she could feel one blue eyebrow twitch.

To be fair, this was the seventh time she'd heard almost this exact same speech today. Every time she was politely firm, and every time she listened to them say _"...couldn't you...", "... what if...", "It says...", _and _"... to be fair..."_. She'd had enough.

She stood up, right in the middle of the speech. The dignitary gawked at her, but she didn't care. "You. Come with me. We're going to straighten this out, once and for all." He fell in behind her, startled and cautious, as she swept out the door.

She continued on until she reached the throne room, then paused. All of the other petitioners were there, waiting for a chance to speak with one of the people who made the world play nicely with itself. Neither Serenity nor Endymion were there, but it was the anniversary of the first shoe to the head. They only were 'sick' on that day about once every three years, but this was the magic number. That they were hiding today was both a good and bad thing. Endymion would go through politicians at about twice the rate the Senshi could, but Serenity had a hard time saying 'no' to anyone.

"All right, you lot. Listen up. I've already said this six times today, and I'm not going to say it again. That proclamation, as passed, means _everyone _is _equal_! I don't _care_ what your eisegesis says, _there is no such thing as more equal!_"

* * *

_Noun: An interpretation that expresses the interpreter's own ideas, bias, or the like, rather than the meaning of the text._

_That... is a very hard word to spell. I have to really think about it, and keep looking it up._


	120. Virilocal

_Day 120: Virilocal_

* * *

"Are you sure you've thought this thing through?"

"You don't understand! It's love! There's nothing more that need to be thought about." Mercury rubbed her forehead while Mars rolled her eyes. This comment, coming as it did after several other lackadaisical comments on the same thread, also had Jupiter facepalming and Venus sighing.

"How about we go through this again, from the top?" Venus suggested, earning her a glare from Mars, who was thoroughly sick of listening to her charge. "You love him. He loves you. Correct?"

"Absolutely!" Replied the silver-haired princess firmly.

"You are the Princess of the Moon. He is the Prince of Earth. Everything right so far?" Mercury piped in, seeing where this was going.

"Yes." Answered the suddenly wary girl.

"Those two kingdoms, while not actively at war, a certainly nowhere near allies. True?" Jupiter chimed in, recognizing this conversation from one the guardians had held on their own a few days previously.

"Unfortunately." This caused their charge to pout, but that was a face that was becoming far to regular for the tempers of her friends.

"Both of you are only children, with no other possible heirs to leave the throne to. Agreed?" Mars ground out, annoyed at having to go through this so slowly.

"Agreed." Came the hesitant reply, the girl's tone obviously stating that the trend was making her uncomfortable.

"Would either Kingdom be willing to submit to the other?" Venus asked, fixing a look on the girl that made it obvious any attempt to lie would be caught.

"No." That was a definite, and not even the Princess's optimistic nature could pretend it was otherwise.

"So how would you make this relationship work? Where would you live? Who could marry you? What culture would your children be raised in? If you were to have a girl as a firstborn, would the Terrans be willing to let her rule? What..." Mars's litany of objections was cut off my the plaintive wail of the younger girl.

"But we love each other!"

"Oh, for goodness sake, we know!" Mercury bit out, silencing the pale girl with her unusual gruffness. "That's not what we're even discussing! Just because you love the man doesn't make the political, social, and cultural difficulties of your relationship go away! At the very least, they will try to force their virilocal views on you and your children! You're very fond of Earth, but the Moon is your home! Would you really be okay with never being able to live here again?"

"... No." The comment was thick, giving away the pain that the girl tried to hide with her argent bangs.

Venus was quick to sweep her into a hug, the others following suit with commendable haste. "It's alright, love. We know you love him. We know. We don't want to hurt you. We just want you to _think_. It will save the both of you a lot of heartache in the future. We know it's not fair, but you can't just think of you and him. You much consider what's best for your people, and for his."

"You want me to give up on him?" Came the plaintive question. It was obvious that an answer, though not desired, was fully expected. Not a nebulous "Do what you think right" answer, but a real one.

Jupiter's derisive snort answered for all of them. "Not bloody likely!" The tall woman declared, drawing herself up.

"We follow you." Mercury asserted, blue eyes blazing.

"We don't want to follow anyone who would give up on their dreams." Red hair was flicked expressively, telling her thoughts without saying a word.

"We just want you go through with this relationship like the regal woman you are, not like some mindless chit who doesn't even understand the meaning of responsibility." Gold eyes gazed earnestly into teary azure ones. "Let us help you. We want you happy. Let us help.

The young girl met each of her guardians' eyes carefully, gauging their actual thoughts on this. "Yes." She finally breathed, before bursting into tears of relief. "Oh, yes, my friends. Yes. I need your help with this. I want your help. Yes."

* * *

_Adjective: Living with or located near a husband's father's family._

_This... Was very difficult to write. It doesn't even _apply_ to Sailor Moon, not really. There are only four male characters in the whole series, and the only ones that are fmaily are related to the _bride_! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it._


	121. Yarely

_Day 121: Yarely_

* * *

It wasn't their best fight. It wasn't their _worst_ fight, but it wasn't their best fight. They'd all taken some pretty heavy hits, and they were starting to feel them, now that the adrenaline was draining away.

Mercury could only shake her head at the arm Venus presented her with. Their accelerated healing would take care of most of it, but she was worried about infection. Who knew _what_ the youma were packing around on their claws.

"Jupiter, could we go to your place?" She asked, still concentrating on stopping the bleeding. Mars was nearby, checking their leader out. She'd hit her head hard enough to stun her, and they were all concerned.

"Of course!" The tall warrior, currently standing guard, responded quickly. "That's why we spent so much time stocking the first aid closet, after all."

"Not just first aid." She was gently corrected. "A full field hospital kit."

Green eyes rolled expressively. "Whatever." The response, however, was flat. "Medical supplies. It doesn't really matter what you call it, just so long as we get there and it does its duty. Anyway, we should be heading. People will be coming to investigate soon." She shot them a quick grin. "'Follow me yarely to mine house', and we'll get you all patched right up."

Sailor Moon turned to Sailor Mars, looking worried. "I think I'm hearing things. And they're from Mrs. Haruna's class. Maybe this concussion is worse than we thought."

Mercury and Mars both snorted a laugh at this. "Come on." Mercury said, as they each coaxed their blonde to follow them. "Robert Louis Stevenson aside, we do need to get moving."

Mars snickered as they followed the other three. "'I'm hearing things'." She told the blonde teasingly. "You're not going to live that one down anytime soon."

The blonde looked at her best friend almost pitifully. "Can't we ignore it? With the injury and all?"

"Nope."

"...Uh oh."

* * *

_Adverb: With quickness or agility._

_Hmmm... The last bit sounded funnier before, but then I forgot how I was going to write it. Oh well. I couldn't think of any reason for any of them to use this word ever, in any context, without really researching those sorts of speech patterns. So, instead, I stole the quote the site used. The book is _The Black Arrow_, and the author was mentioned already._


	122. Pullulate

_Day 122: Pullulate_

* * *

The Crown was the favourite place of several of the girls long before it had ever become 'their' place. Before they knew of the control room buried below it. Before the Sailor V game, that tool used shamelessly to train troublesome children for their duties, ever arrived. Even the ones that would never have gone to an arcade normally quickly came to love the place, and could be found there even when their more rambunctious friends were elsewhere.

Now, of course, the Crown was indelibly intermingled with their duties as Senshi, as well as the place they would go to if they wanted to remember _why_ they had those duties, and _why _they kept fulfilling them.

That did not, however, mean it was necessarily the best place to move their homework session while the temple was busy.

"That does it!" Makoto declared, exasperated after the tenth interruption in Ami's explanation of her math homework. "We're moving this to my house. We can't work in this!"

"Too many boys." Usagi agreed, nodding. The only one she wanted to see was not in this crowd, so there was no point hanging out.

Ami rolled her eyes. "Why do you think Motoki likes it when we visit so much? Normally, this sort of place is a haven for unattached guys. It's also pretty normal that, while we're here, they would pullulate the area around us, hoping for attention. That's just what they _do_. I don't usually consider it an issue, but today we are far to busy to attempt to civilize young men. That's a challenge at the best of times."

* * *

_Verb: To exist abundantly; swarm; teem._

_I'm not sure I used the word correctly. It felt a little awkward. So I guess that just means that you shouldn't use it unless you've actually researched (or know) how to use it. Don't rely on me. Oh, and this is very much from the manga-verse. Anyway, I hope you liked it! Have a great day!_


	123. Xenogenic

_Day 123: Xenogenic_

* * *

"That... can't be normal."

"We expected it, but still... Exactly how did she get this way?"

"We know she's fully her parents' in every other way. And I can sort of understand the hair, if you think _waaaaaay_ back, but this! It just... defies explanation, you know?"

Three pairs of eyes met over the tiny bundle, sharing their confusion. They were interrupted by an aggravated shout.

"Hey! Slackers!" They turned, just as baffled by the out-of-character shout as they just had been by the earlier object of their scrutiny.

Mercury glared daggers at her sisters-in-arms. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked, voice literally making the temperature in the room drop. "Serenity is still sleeping off her labour, Endymion is curled up with her and given to random fits of maniac grinning, and there are _still_ stupid politicians trying to get unacceptable bills passed when our monarchs are distracted! And where do I find _you_? Discussing the xenogenic eyes of a child we _knew_ would look like that? You get back to work! Go! Shoo!"

She scolded and berated the other women testily as she swept them from the child's room. The baby just giggled at the show, exhibiting her cheerful nature even at this age.

"What about you, Mercury?" Mars asked, blocking the door just before it could get closed on them. "What are you doing now?"

One blue brow was raised imperiously. "I have just spent the last three hours, while you all were AWOL, duelling verbally with those slimy scoundrels we call courtiers. It's my turn to watch the baby."

With that the door was firmly shut, and the bolt thrown. Ami collapsed against it, letting her transformation fade back into the pyjamas she'd been wearing when Serenity went into labour two nights previously.

She pushed herself up and lurched across the room, her exhaustion showing. The others had taken short naps during the labour, but both Mercury, the attending physician, and Mamoru, the new father, had been up the whole time. She smiled down at the cooing child in the bassinet as she fell into the chair next to it. She ran her fingers through the girl's surprisingly thick shock of pink hair and stared into the now-purple-pink eyes. "Those'll turn your normal reddish-brown soon, sweetheart. All babies have blue eyes at first." She yawned, her expression quickly mirrored by the chubby pink bundle everyone found so riveting. "You're really good at this dramatic entrance thing, aren't you? It's okay, I've finally got those three back to their duties. I don't blame you. They should.. know... bet..." She never finished as her head dropped into her arms and she slipped into dreamland. The newly dubbed child, one Princess Small Lady Serenity Usagi Tsukino Chiba, made a soft, gurgling sound and followed her guard and future friend into dreams, one small hand clutching a dainty pinky.

* * *

_Adjective: To be completely different from either parent, or from the source of an object's creation._


	124. Jujitsu

_Day 124: Jujitsu_

* * *

"Why is studying so _hard_?" Well, at least, that's how Ami chose to interpret the sounds coming out of her firend's mouth. Said friend currently being face down on the table with her head buried in her arms, so the muffled noises coming from her were open to quite a bit of interpretation.

"You got that right." Makoto sighed from her position across the table from Ami. It appeared that the blue-haired girl was not alone in her translation of the strange Usagi-noises. "I wish all of school was as easy as Home Ec."

"Or gym." Pipes in the other blonde sitting to the left. Her bangs were standing straight up, and her usual red bow looked like it had been hung in her hair instead of placed. There was only so much even the best shampoos and haircuts could do to combat exam stress, after all.

"Psh, of course you find studying hard. It's just like when you tried rock climbing and your fingers ached. It's painful because you never do it." Rei didn't even look up from her notes as she delivered her normal scathing retort to the blonde. Ami could see the gentle smile on the raven-haired girl's face, and wasn't fooled.

Others, however, couldn't say the same thing. "_REEEIIIIIII!_Why do you have to to be so _mean_?"

Ami ignored the following retorts, accusations, threats, and laughter as simply the norm for this group, and continued studying for her History exam.

She didn't even notice the silence that had fallen, too absorbed in the lives of those that had lived in a time she only saw in hazy dreams or brittle, clear moments that were almost deja vu. It was Minako that finally drew her out of it, scooting to her side and prostrating herself.

"Oh great master of learning, I beg a boon of you. Teach me the ways of your homework jujitsu, that I may learn with the ease of one accustomed to such tasks."

Ami blinked at her, her usually sharp mind still finding its way back from ages past. It was Rei that answered for her, amusement clearly ringing through the affected layer of annoyance. "If you want to learn 'homework jujitsu'," She growled almost menacingly. "You should quit treating the books like they threatened your cat. They're not actually your enemy, you know."

Minako pulled herself up to a normal sitting position with a grace and flair that had the other girl momentarily envious. The glint in her eyes was all teasing, but Ami had a bad feeling about it when the girl opened her mouth. "Says you. I bet that fire of yours gives you the answers. That's why you do so well."

Violet eyes shot a look so venomous at the smirking blonde that the spectators were mildly surprised it wasn't dripping on the floor. "Are you implying," The furious priestess ground out from between gritted teeth, "That I use the _sacred fire_ as a _test aid_?"

"I most certainly did not!" Minako gasped, sounding offended. Then her expression melted into a smirk. "There was absolutely no _implying_ in that sentence."

As the rest of the room once again dissolved into chaos, Ami escaped back into the past. One thought wormed its way into her conscious, causing her to grin lightly. _She'd have no trouble at all if she put as much effort into studying as she does picking arguments._

* * *

_Noun: The ability to accomplish a task with no apparent effort or resistance._

_That... is not an English word. The same argument I made for wunderkindt is still valid. You would think that there would be enough _actual_ English words that we wouldn't have to steal like this. I'm rather fond of how this turned out. I hope you liked it as well. Have a great day!_


	125. Sabbatical

_Day 125: Sabbatical_

* * *

Duty.

For a solitary warrior, destined to stand guard at the mighty Time Gate, that was all there was. Forever would she stand there, never ceasing in her vigilance and never wavering in her resolve. It was a life she was destined for, created for, existing for.

Guarding time's stream, watching carefully for the ripples that had the possibility of changing the preordained events, was her duty. Preventing those who wished, in moments of pure foolishness, to traverse the dimensions. Destroying, if necessary, those that would whisper of the presence of such a gate. Waiting.

Duty.

Everything for her resolved around that. It was understandable, therefore, that she would have to ask for clarification upon hearing the newest decree from her monarchs.

"I'm getting a _what_?"She demanded, convinced she was hearing things. Or maybe that she'd finally gone around the bend and was having hallucinations.

"A vacation!" Young Serenity chirped, looking very much like the giddy schoolgirl she had once been. "I mean, you're always out here! It's not that we don't appreciate your dedication, we really do, it's just... You need a life sometimes too. Time to be Setsuna, and not 'The Mystical and Mysterious Senshi of Time, Pluto the Silent'." Pluto felt her eye twitch at the name she had apparently been given by the others while she was gone. Her Queen's air quotes didn't help.

"We're worried about you, Pluto." Endymion continued, gathering up his wife before her most serious warrior could brain her with the Time Key. Given the glare she was using, it wasn't all that unlikely of an idea. "And we miss you, as well. The gate needs a guard, we understand. It's too powerful to be left alone. However, that doesn't mean it _always _has to be you. Diana is old enough now, and we think you should let her take over for a couple weeks. Take a cruise. Visit the rest of us. Meet the Asteroid Senshi for once. I know for a fact that both Chibiusa and Hotaru would love for you to meet their friends. They love you, and they want to share that."

He trailed off then, seeing the desire to leave warring with the sense of duty that she'd spent years alone with. Usagi could see it too, that Pluto wasn't yet convinced that this was a good idea. She gave in to her husband's silent urging, and turned to leave with him. Just before they faded from view, she looked back, pinning Pluto with a look.

"_Think about it."_ She mouthed, before finding herself back in Crystal Tokyo. She promised herself, however, that this wouldn't be the last of it. She would _make_ Pluto take a vacation if she had to.

A a few days of pleading had worn down her guard until the blonde almost managed to get her to concede. However, it appeared they were at an impasse. There was one stubborn little part of her that even her ever-growing desire to take a break couldn't convince her to betray. Although Usagi was very impressed with her Senshi's resolve, she found it only irritated her in this case.

On day seven, Mamoru met up with her before she began the trek to the Time Gate. He handed her a note and Diana with a smile, and she felt it buoy her. Today was the day. Setsuna was going to leave the gate if Usagi had to drag her, kicking and screaming, from her post.

Surprisingly, it didn't take that. The woman had sighed heavily upon seeing the kitten, but her outlook had changed drastically as soon as she read the note. Her look promised rather more trouble than a sabbatical normally started with, but at least she was going.

Though Usagi, for the life of her, couldn't imagine why Setsuna would feel the need to 'discuss nicknames with Minako.'

* * *

_Noun: Any extended period of leave from one's customary work, especially for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc._


	126. Torrefy

_Day 126: Torrefy_

* * *

"Rei, you are aware that you just flambed a bouquet of roses, aren't you?" Normally she wasn't one to ask questions that obvious, but Ami's brain had been shorted out a bit by the image of her friend. She'd known the volatile girl was bothered by something recently, but hadn't expect the flagrant abuse of firepower she'd found.

In a way, it was quite similar to Makoto taking out her frustrations on bread dough. Just a little warmer.

"Idiot can't take no for an answer. Keeps saying we're 'perfect' for each other. Hasn't figured out that I don't like him in _that_ way. I... Argh!" The raven-haired girl threw her hand up in the air, obviously exasperated.

Ami shook her head, careful to hide the smirk that curved her lips. The girl had laughed over several other similar crushes that the others had been a part of, and she felt like her temperamental colleague was getting her comeuppance.

Still, she wasn't going to let the girl stew on her own. If her distemper was enough that she would risk exposing herself by lighting the flora up, it was time to step in.

"Come on." She told the other, one arm now wrapped around shoulders vibrating with tension. "Makoto's got some punching bags. We'll have her teach you to throw a proper uppercut. That'll help."

The walked in silence for a moment before Ami spoke up again. "And next time? Tell us what's going on. Preferably before you decide to torrefy gifts. Minako was all set to pull her stalker-stunts again."

* * *

_Verb: To subject to fire or intense heat._

_... Hunh. I think I'm still annoyed. I didn't think I was until I started typing, and this came out. I didn't want to write this yesterday due to _my_ distemper (you deserve better than my rant from one of their mouths), but it didn't turn out to different anyways. Sorry about that, but this is all you're getting for yesterday, I guess._

_Also, in answer to James Birdsong: 'The Mystical and Mysterious Senshi of Time, Pluto the Silent' is the nickname. Trust me, nicknames don't have to be shorter._


	127. Sirocco

_Day 127: Sirocco_

* * *

This was it.

They'd finally gotten through all the layers, the subterfuge, the decoys, and the traps. Now it was just them and their counterparts, waiting for the moment that would signal the beginning of the end.

No one was quite ready to start it yet, however. Instead, eyes took the time to rove over those around them. It was everyone's first time seeing all of their enemies face-to-face. Even their foes seemed content, for the moment, just to take in their adversaries. A warm breeze passed between them, whipping hair and skirts into a fury, belaying the impression any bystander would take that this was a painting.

When the calm was finally broken, chaos reigned. It hadn't been an attack that had shattered the unspoken truce, sending everyone into a flurry of motion as a battle sprung from nowhere. It hadn't been an ultimatum, prompting impassioned speeches and protective posing. It hadn't been a smirk, over-confidence spurring harsh words and hurtful actions.

It had merely been an observation, and now everyone was scrambling to try and figure out _what the heck that crazy blonde was _thinking!

"The warm breeze is a nice change from the arctic temperatures we usually fight bosses in, but I think I preferred the snow to the sand. This is going to get absolutely _everywhere_! Sand can get in some really uncomfortable places, you know."

Mars was joined in facevaulting to the floor by all of their opponents save one, who only lost her icy facade enough to drop her jaw. Jupiter immediately clapped both hands over her mouth, desperately trying to muffle the giggles she could feel bubbling through her whole body. Sailor Moon just stared straight ahead, blinking and completely disbelieving that she'd actually just heard what she thought she'd heard. Mercury was the only one capable of bringing herself to respond to the non sequitor the ever-ditzy blonde had come up with this time.

"Venus, we are about to start a battle for the future of the earth. No matter how out of place the sirocco might have seemed, you did _not_ need to start commenting on the weather!"

The girl in question just shrugged, understanding her friend's admonishment even through the hands she was currently hiding her face in. "I'd call it an icebreaker, but we've already established that we don't need one."

* * *

_Noun: Any hot, oppressive wind, especially one in the warm sector of a cyclone._

_The second entry talks about sand. I hope you enjoyed Minako's trolling. And punning. She just doesn't sit still well. ;) Have a great day!_


	128. Attenuate

_Day 128: Attenuate_

* * *

"Please? Pretty, pretty _please_?" Bright blue and deep brown eyes gazed soulfully out of matching faces, managing (barely) to achieve their desired goal.

"Fine! I'll cover for you today. But you owe me!" Grouched the blue-haired Senshi.

Venus wolf-whistled from her spot watching this as the Queen and Princess scampered off, intent on getting the most out of their free day. "Wow, Mercury, even you?"

"Sorry about that. We sent them to you because we figured you might actually be able to say no." Jupiter added, trying to hide a smile.

Mars nodded. "You've got a better track record for keeping them in line, but the double Tsukino puppy-dog eyes is hard to resist."

Mercury sighed and ran her fingers through her short hair in frustration. "I know. We really need to come up with a better way to attenuate their effectiveness at pleading. We've been at this for over a thousand years, and _still _can't say no!"

* * *

_Verb: To weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value_


	129. Catawampus

_Day 129: Catawampus_

* * *

"You've been spending too long at the bar!" Fisheye scolded, glaring at his teammates. "Not only do you come up with horrid plans, but your presentation is frankly appalling!"

The slight, blue-haired man sniffed, ignoring the fact that his colleagues were ignoring him. "This is what too much alcohol does, you know! We practised and practised for days, only for you drunks to create portals that look more like a catawampus doughnut than anything else! And another thing..."

Hawkseye and Tigerseye didn't even look their effeminate drinking buddy, too busy sorting through the piles of photos for the ones they were willing to target. Finally, though, the rather shrill background noise drew the ire of the two currently-men-creatures that had been fully intending to spend all their time revelling in their new forms. Their only wish, the one they were currently paying for by hunting down dream mirrors, was to be human.

For once, though, the two found themselves almost regretting their choice.

If just one thing could be said in praise of being animals, it was that fish couldn't talk.

* * *

_Adjective:Off-center; askew; awry._


	130. Aphorism

_Day 130: Aphorism_

* * *

"Just _what_ do you think you're doing?" The words cut across the silence like a blade, making everyone _look_ at everything they had been trying to avoid seeing until now.

"I need to do this myself." It wasn't an answer. All of them knew that. An excuse, a deflection, an admission... It was everything but what had been demanded of her. What was still demanded of her.

Sky blue eyes held a resolve stronger than steel, accurately, for once, reflecting her element. Cornflower blue slid sideways, resting briefly on cobalt (brittle and remote, an ice statue hiding the hurt in her soul), emerald (caring, coaxing, like she was a plant that only needed water to bloom), and violet (full more of passionate determination than anger, but still with that fire that characterized everything considered important), before dropping to her shoes.

They were shoes, just the normal ones she wore all the time. There was a scuff on the right one from where she'd stubbed it on a parking barricade after school. Not boots. There was no mystical heroine here, just a terrified and lonely girl who finally, just once, wanted to prove herself.

She could save the world, that was a given. She could love even those who had hurt her (also a given, to the neverending exasperation of those who had sworn to protect her), could cherish even the things most people despised in the universe, and would protect any life to her last breath.

That didn't mean she could rule the world. That she could guide it, nurture it, let it grow. That didn't mean she could handle others problems, could practice harsh love, could let others hurt, even if it was through their own mistakes.

She truly didn't believe she was strong enough for her destiny. That, by itself, would have been enough. Yet, there was more. She was surrounded, all the time, by people infinitely more capable than she was. It was grating, to feel that inferior all the time.

She couldn't tell them that.

It was a very literal truth. She'd tried, but her throat had closed up, refusing to let her say the humiliating words she could feel clawing at her larynx, blocker her voice at the source. Instead, she'd been forced to swallow them down, feeling them burn with poison in her veins.

Even now, she couldn't speak, couldn't tell them why she was here, doing this, acting like this. Instead, she just repeated herself, praying they would understand. "I _need_ to do this myself."

Cobalt worries were wiped away, soothed by the emphasis on that word. Emerald-shaded love blossomed into pride, knowing what the blonde didn't, that the growing was being done in this confrontation as much as it would have in the planned one. Violet fires were tamed with relief, as assurance that this wasn't something foolish, and troublesome, and impulsive poured from her.

Orbs the colour of the sky softened, though only slightly. It seemed she understood, for her lips turned up into a smile. It didn't, however, disguise the iron still in her tone as she spoke. "Of course you do. And we have to come with you."

It was spoken like a truth, the kind of truth that just _was_, like there was nothing in the world that could make it untrue. A smile curved lips up from the faint frown they'd been carrying far to long. Her voice, however, was still troubled, try though she might to hide it. "_I _need to do this, _myself_." She emphasized once again, knowing that she _had_ to make this point clear. "I've been thinking about it, and I _have_ to! I really, really do! It's just... I can't... I'm not... Even back then... Still, when we get to then... I'm just not what it takes to be what I'm supposed to be! I'm not, and I need to fix that! I _need_ to do this myself!"

"No, no," Each denial was punctuated with a sharp snap of blonde hair as the group's leader shook her head violently. "You're not thinking, you're just being logical! That's _not_ how it works! And even if you need us at times, _we_ need _you_ too! And even when you _don't_ need us anymore, except as guardians, we will _still_ need you! _You_ are the most important person in the world to us, and we _won't _let you face this alone! It doesn't matter if you delegate to us! You _can't_ do this all yourself! No one could! And if they tried, it would destroy them! Remember, power corrodes, and absolute power..." She trailed off, eyes serious and almost desperate. There was no need to finish the quote. Everyone knew how that one ended.

Except her friends wished she had, wondering what nonsense would have come out of the bubble-headed girl's mouth this time. The two blondes stared at each other, locked in an arcane battle of wills, while their comrades tried not to break the moment by laughing. To do such would have been _highly_ inappropriate.

Ami felt her lips twitch despite her best efforts. "And she was doing so well with the first aphorism..." She whispered, despairing over _anyone_ ever being able to take them seriously after meeting Minako.

* * *

_Noun: A terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation._

_This started out light, fluffy, and funny, though I think I like it better as it turned out. I had to keep that last bit of humour, though. That was the context for using the word._

_"No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical" is an actual aphorism, and is quoted from Neils Bohr. I think it's a fairly accurate statement of how they act sometimes. _

_... As well, I keep wanting to end Minako's quote with something about dead car batteries. _


	131. Haw

_Day 131: Haw_

* * *

They supported her, they listened to her, the gave her advice. They offered her opinions, when she asked, and let her go on at length when she felt the need to do that instead. They were there on the days she would hem and haw, and they were there on the days when she would angrily declare herself in once camp or another, though never quite committing.

Princess or no, if that girl brought up changing her hairstyle one more time, Juno was just going to sneak into her room and cut it off in the night. Enough was enough.

* * *

_Verb: To utter a sound representing a hesitation or pause in speech_

_True drabble!_


	132. Deciduous

_Day 132: Deciduous_

* * *

"That's probably not the best hiding place, Minako." Rei informed her childish friend seriously.

"Hah! Shows what you know! Not even Makoto can reach me up here! And this branch is thin enough that she can't follow me either!" This pronouncement was accompanied by something that could only be termed 'anime villain laugh', and Rei was struck dumb for a minute by the fact that she was actually hearing it in real life.

Finally she shook her head and called up to the blonde, ignoring the fuming brunette next to her. "It's a _deciduous_ tree!" She called out.

"Yeah. And it's winter." Minako rolled her eyes. "And the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and it snowed last night. What's your poi-AGH!" The girl shrieked as she fell from the tree, landing with a soft _thump_ in a snowbank.

Minako sat up spluttering, ignoring Rei's 'I told you so' in favour of glaring at Makoto. She reached under the hem of her jacked and pulled out something green. "They ripped off as I fell." She informed the amazonian girl, brandishing it in her face. "Making the tree sprout just to tickle me was _mean_!"

"So was ambushing me outside of the changing room after gym." Came the smug reply. "I'll do it again if I have to. I have no regrets."

* * *

_Adjective: Shedding the leaves annually, as certain trees and shrubs._

_Sorry this took so long to get out. I had a much better Canada Day than I was planning, and ended up sleeping at a friend's house. Then, yesterday, my account wouldn't let me upload. Today it seems to be working, so I'll make sure there are three today. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope everyone (if they have one) has a great long weekend._


	133. Bedlam

_Day 133: Bedlam_

* * *

"ENOUGH!" She was a monarch, able to control even the slimiest courtier with nothing more than a raised eyebrow. She was the one person every person in the solar system, and quite possibly beyond, would jump to obey before she'd even opened her mouth.

Needless to say, Queen Serenity was not used to yelling.

"_What_ is going on here?" She demanded of her daughter and the girl's new companions. The four other children had just moved to the palace that day, as they were finally old enough to leave home and learn to work, and fight, as a unit.

Queen Serenity's eyes roved over the children, taking in the red face from held back sobs that accompanied tangled silver locks, the bruising around one bright, lavender eye, the blonde strands held tight in a death grip by hands with bright green nails, and the golden-nailed foot planted firmly on a different, larger one. Her eyes continued until she spotted a bundle of blue hiding in a corner, protected by a pillow and reading a book.

"Mercury." The queen intoned, and the blue-haired girl looked up. "What happened to turn this room into such a state of bedlam?"

"That... It is not my place to say, my queen." The girl responded, bowing her head in obeisance.

Queen Serenity frowned slightly, and gave the young girl a calculated glare. She was impressed with how well the girl withstood it, but she was only a youngster.

"It's because they all think they're the most important!" She burst out, looking suddenly inflamed in the way only childish temper could do. "They were _arguing_, and then _hitting_, and it's all entirely unsuitable for young ladies of state, and I can't _believe_ you're forcing me to live with all these brats all the time from now on!"

"Brat!" "Who are you calling a brat, you meanie-head?" "Nobody says that to me!" "Moooooommmmyyyyyy!" The sudden eruption of noise almost deafened the woman, and she left the room quickly. This was one of those things the girls would have to sort out for themselves if they were ever to be able to work together.

She cast a couple of quick spells, making them both silent to the rest of the castle and completely incapable of hurting each other for real, then smirked.

Those bruises would teach better lessons than any she could offer.

* * *

_Noun: A scene or state of wild uproar and confusion._


	134. Chow

_Day 134: Chow_

* * *

"Makoto, she didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Honestly, it was meant to be a compliment." Ami was doing her best to urge peace, but nothing was coming of it. The younger girl was still furious.

Her pots and bowls were sustaining a beating, though they didn't look any worse for the wear. Hands shook with rage as eggs were cracked and batter beaten to within an inch of its life. A plate of cookies was shoved under her nose, and Ami grabbed one. She couldn't help the bliss that crossed her face as it seemed to melt on her tongue, but she didn't really try to either.

The tall chef smirked at that, but her eyes still shot fire. "I," She enunciated carefully, "Am as much a prodigy in the kitchen as you are with your books. It doesn't _matter_ what sort of flowery adjectives you use beforehand, _my food is not 'chow'!_"

* * *

_Noun: Food, especially hearty dishes or a meal._

_Because that is far to casual of a word for her to accept her creations as being labeled. ;) That's what you call a greasy burger, or a sketchy taco._


	135. Suffrage

_Day 135: Suffrage_

* * *

"You should be flattered, my lord. It's not every young man that can manage to snare the hearts of an entire court." Crown Prince Endymion, ruler in waiting of the most powerful earthen kingdom, threw a pillow right at the face of his best friend and closest confidant.

Kunzite, being a hardened warrior as well as one of the people that understood the young royal's moods, easily avoided it.

Zoicite and Jadeite snickered, drawing their ward and comrade's wrath down upon them as well with muttered comments that were designed expressly to draw out unknown levels of the ebon-haired man's rage.

Nephrite ignored them, not interested in involving himself in the pillow and insult slinging.

Endymion threw his hands up in the air. "The ones after my body I can deal with. The ones after my status, I've gotten used to. The ones who have been told long enough that they ought to like me, I feel sorry for but don't mind too much. On the other hand, those new ones that aim for suffrage through pillow talk..."

They all winced in unison, all having had dealings with the new breed of 'enlightened' women who got their way by finding a stupid man with power to listen to them.

"On the upside," Zoicite offered, after a moment of solemn silence. "There have been no truly _intelligent_ ones. Just crafty ones."

Nephrite abandoned his self-appointed role as 'above that' to smack Zoicite in the back of the head. "Great. Just great. Now that you've mentioned it, _they will come_! It's like saying 'snow' in September. _It will snow_!"

"Superstitious idiot." The younger man muttered, rubbing the back of his head and glaring balefully at his friend.

All thoughts of annoying court women fled in the face of the free-for-all that followed that comment.

* * *

_Noun:The right to vote, especially in a political election._

_...So hard... Since when do any of these people vote? Or need a reason to do so? Urgh. No wonder it took me over a full day to come up with _anything_._


	136. Aporia

_Day 136: Aporia_

* * *

Ami was sick of this argument. She had been sick of it for a while, but now she was thoroughly fed up with it.

"Stop!" She demanded loudly, making all the other girls look at her like she'd just grown a second head. She shook the singular one she had, then continued. "I don't care that we may have been to harsh, I don't care that they used to be trustworthy. This discussion is getting us nowhere. There is too much aporia for us to be able to answer those questions. The Shitennou are gone. They died. _We_ didn't kill them, nor can _we_ do anything about the fact that they're gone. So quit talking about it and do your homework! Finals are next week!"

* * *

_Noun: Difficulty determining the truth of an idea due to equally valid arguments for and against it._

_I don't know if I used that word correctly. The examples made my eyes glaze over. If you know how to more properly use it, drop me a line. If not... Well, don't take this as an English lesson, is all I can say._


	137. Stonewall

_Day 137: Stonewall_

* * *

"That... That was... Don't you _ever_ pull something like that again, do you hear me?" Mercury panted as she stood next to her young charge, who had just leapt from one of the palaces balconies.

Serenity straightened her buns, looking innocent. "What? No one got hurt. I knew you'd catch me."

"Of course I'd catch you. What sort of mystical, powerful guardian would I be if I let my ward _smash into a pulp after throwing herself off of a tower!_ Really, Princess, there are better ways to stonewall unwanted suitors! Have you never heard of subtlety?"

"Of course I have." The silver-haired girl replied, looking unconcerned. "Usually it's a trait I apply to others, though."

Mercury sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I hope you have a daughter that's just like you." She cursed her ward.

* * *

"Really, Chibiusa, there are better ways to stonewall unwanted suitors! What are you trying to do, kill yourself?" Neo-Queen Serenity was frantic. The unconcerned expression of the daredevil girl-child before her wasn't helping her composure.

"Helios gave me wings. I was fine."

"_THAT IS NOT EVEN REMOTELY THE POINT!_" Mercury smirked at her monarch's shriek. Even two lifetimes later, revenge was sweet.

* * *

_Verb: To block, stall, or resist intentionally._


	138. Futilitarian

_Day 138: Futilitarian_

* * *

"Even after all this, you still believe? In what? What is there to believe in? In friends? Yours are gone. In life? It ends so easily. In the future? You've seen how easy it is to change. In love? Where is yours? Is anyone who claims to love you here now? What is there to believe in?"

Super Sailor Moon shook her pink hair irritatedly. "I've heard this before. I've travelled into the past and heard it then, and I've fought villains and heard it now. I've met people from the future, and they've heard it too. So I'll tell you what I believe. I believe that the price for delivering yet another long-winded, pointless, futilitarian speech is this: I am going to kick your butt from here to Galaxy Cauldron."

Her resolve set, the young woman threw herself wholeheartedly into the battle. She got enough drama at home, what with Pallas and Vesta. She didn't need it now, too.

* * *

_Adjective: Believing that human hopes are vain and unjustified._

_I got a little sick of it. I would imagine she did too._


	139. Patois

_Day 139:Patois_

* * *

"And she said..."

"I did not! I said..."

"... pillows ripped into tiny pieces..."

"...inappropriate conduct..."

"Mooooootheeeeerrrrr!"

Queen Serenity glared at the squabbling children, suddenly wishing she'd let the children grow up entirely on their own planet, despite the urgings of Sailor Neptune. She didn't see how girls that did nothing but fight could ever become a cohesive unit. However, it was to late to unmake that decision now. All she could do was try to minimize the damage done to the girls, the rooms, and the ears of the bystanders.

"Okay, this is my decree!" She declared, her tone causing the girls to fall silent. "Since this was caused by slang having different meanings on different worlds, the new rule is this: All you may speak is proper Solarian. There is to be no more slang, no more patois, no more jargon. If it is not a word that I would use in a speech, it is not to leave your mouths. _Is this understood?_"

The girls nodded and filed out, meek for once. Serenity dropped her head into her hands. One moody, impulsive, childish pre-adolescent inclined to either fight or sulk at the drop of a hat was enough for most parents. She had five.

* * *

_Noun: A regional version of a language differing from its standard, literary form._


	140. Sublimate

_Day 140: Sublimate_

* * *

"Wha... Do jerk! Whad do do dat vor?" The blonde Shitennou of the East held a hand up to his streaming nose, glaring all the while at his prince and best friend.

"I'm sorry, Jadeite. I didn't mean to..." He trailed off, looking upset and hurt, though it was his friend that was actually in pain. He reached for the blonde man. "Here, let me..."

"Oh, no you don't!" Zoicite interjected, jumping between the two men with his arms spread wide. "Nu uh. Nope. No happening. _No_!"

"I was just going to heal him." Endymion protested, looking confused and even more hurt at the actions of the younger man.

Nephrite pulled Jadeite's hands from his face and inspected the swollen nose before holding a handkerchief out to stop the blood. "He's fine, it's just a bloody nose. He really doesn't need for you to use your magic on him."

The raven-haired man sulked, looking much more like a moody adolescent than his normal, cheerful eighteen-year-old self. Zoicite continued to glare at him suspiciously. "You remember what happened last time, don't you? The rumours caused by that silly grin on Nephrite's face _still_ haven't gone away!"

The brunette in discussion snorted disdainfully. "The _last _thing we need, what with you getting caught sneaking out last week, is _another_ Shitennou drinking scandal. You know they don't believe it was only an overdose of healing power!"

Rage, pure, pprimal rage, ran across the young royal's face at the mention of all the people that watched him and expected things from him. This was quickly followed by shame, annoyance, and something that still made his guards nervous, that besotted look that only people foolishly in love get.

"Enough of this!" Kunzite demanded, drawing all attention to the previously-silent leader of the Shitennou. Even Jadeite's nose was ignored, so rare was it for Kunzite to involve himself in the quarrels any group of young men have from time to time. Blood dripped onto his uniform, staining it, but no one took any notice.

The pale-haired man turned to his darker foil, eyes intense. Annoyance, concern, worry, and understanding warred with each other, trying to spill from those vivid, pale eyes. "Should you feel the need to sublimate your worry over your duplicitous love, and its attendant problems, then I will be your opponent."

Endymion swallowed, but showed no other signs of nerves as Kunzite pulled out his sword, a spell for temporarily blunting the edge already on his lips. These two came together often in the practice ring normally, being that they were even above the other Shitennou in this regard, but this was no normal spar. The prince drew his own sword, the same spell his companion used falling easily from his lips. The metal warmed slightly, and he reigned his power in harshly. He needed this, to relieve the anger and frustration that his secret love was causing, due to his age and eligibility. However, that didn't mean he was looking forward to the next day.

_Blunted edge or not,_ He thought as he hurled himself at his opponent the same instant the other man did, _This is going to _hurt_._

* * *

_Verb: In psychology, to direct the energy of a primitive impulse into activities that are considered to be socially more acceptable._


	141. Skylark

It was too hot to study.

At least, that was the general consensus around the table at Rei's shrine. Four girls slumped over the table in various poses that indicated their level of dedication, right from Usagi, who was almost snoring, to Rei, who was fanning herself absently while writing her literature essay. Even for her, though, things were slowing down, ancient samurai and shoguns not being able to battle their way through the mind-numbing heat as easily as they had lain waste to their foes, all those many years ago.

One member was conspicuously absent, though the fact that she had been gone much longer than her usual for either a washroom break or a snack break hadn't crossed any of her friend's minds. They were content, for the moment, just to attempt their homework, while wrapped in the comforting blanket of fuzzy-headedness.

Content, that is, until a blue-clad soldier dropped suddenly from the ceiling, wrapping arms encased in ice-cold, soaked gloves around the drowsing blonde's neck.

"C-c-c- _cold_!" Usagi stuttered in shock, shooting upright so fast that she knocked Sailor Mercury to the floor. The bluenette giggled, her transformation fading away as she took in the shocked stares of her companions.

"Oh, come on." She told them, pushing herself up while still giggling slightly. "You can't tell me any of you were actually still studying. It's a waste of everyone's time to sit here when you're not doing anything." She got to her feet and gestured for them to follow her as she walked out to the back garden.

The four girls exchanged confused glances, then got up to follow after her. When they finally reached the back door, they were shocked to find Ami standing next to two large, water filled bins. She reached in a drew out something a bright orange in colour, then flung it at Minako. The blonde batted it to the ground in reflex, a slight shriek escaping her as water sprayed from where her hand contacted the item, splashing her.

"That water's cold!" She informed Ami, looking almost wounded. The genius girl shrugged, looking unconcerned.

"I'm the Senshi of Ice, of course it's cold. Plus, it wouldn't do such a good job of waking you up if it wasn't. Now, this is how things stand: No one is getting any work done, so I've declared a cool-down break. You have one hour to skylark, be it out here with the water, sitting in the shade, napping, or eating, and then we're back to the books. Anyone attempting to circumvent these rules, or who starts pleading for 'just five more minutes', will be punished." The water cupped in her hand hardened into a perfect mould of her palm. They all understood the implied threat well. Even in the middle of summer, no one wanted all the water on their body turned to ice. As one, they nodded.

Makoto, unsurprisingly, was the first one to move, almost appearing to teleport to the edge of one of the bins, spraying the chilly water right at Ami's face with a hand skimming the surface. She stopped quickly, however, as Minako ran up and dunked her head in the water. The tall girl braced herself on the edge of the tub and sputtered, her ponytail dripping all over her clothes. Usagi and Rei joined them momentarily, taking up sponges to attack Ami and Minako respectively.

_Really,_ Rei thought, ducking a sponge Usagi flipped at her when she wasn't paying attention, _Ami comes up with the most unique ideas at times. I'm so glad she's on our side._

* * *

_Verb: To frolic; sport._

_My mother did this, with the sponges and the buckets, so that everyone in the neighborhood was on equal footing during water fights, regardless of economic status. We had a discussion about it recently, and my Mom told me that I was so effusive in commending her that she figured a reccomendation to the UN would come next. The image I'd like to leave you with, after this story, is one of all the governments of the world having their nuclear weapons taken away, and being given some sponges and buckets instead. Then being told to fly at it._


	142. Trig

_Day 142: Trig_

* * *

"Honestly, Juno, what were you thinking? Going out like that... You knew we had an audience today. We're supposed to look trig, not trampled!" The green-haired girl sighed, and resigned herself to the the irritated mutterings of the two pink-headed girls currently trying their best to fix her clothes.

"I don't know how you managed it." Vesta commented, grinning as she watched her eldest sister and princess fuss. "I really don't. You amaze me, sister."

Juno rolled her eyes, and Chibiusa snorted. "Really, Vesta, you shouldn't encourage her. I've been in some pretty bad situations, but I've _never_ managed to do so much damage to my fuku that it's still ripped the next time I transform! This is _not_ something to be bragging about!"

Amused eyes met over shoulders, and matching smirks curled lips up in delight. This, the destroying of uniforms, had become something much more than just bragging. It had just become a challenge.

* * *

_Adjective:_

_Neat, trim, smart._

_Sorry about the delay. RL and this website iteself have conspired against me. I'm moving in two weeks, so I may not get everything up on its actual day all the time, but they are coming._


	143. Assay

_Day 143: Assay_

* * *

Minako winced. She'd thought taking this class would be a good thing (Makoto loved her woodworking class, after all, and very few people had Usagi's flair for photography), but it was turning out to be rather like some sort of arcane torture. Finally she couldn't stand it any more, and went to get the attention of her classmate.

She let him prattle on about his project before she gave the materials in his hand a pointed look. "It's sure to be a wonderful knife, with the grip and everything, but are you sure that's the best piece of metal for what you're doing?"

They were talking over the anvil, as they worked to flatten pieces of metal into the shapes they were aiming for. Minako's chisel was taking shape beautifully beneath her hands, the ore itself telling her where to hit it, and how hard, to mould it to her desire. She suppressed it, but she couldn't help but wince every time he brought his mallet down, the metal screaming to her more obscure senses.

Her classmate shot her a smugly superior look, convinced he knew much more about iron than someone who could barely keep her hair out of the way, even when she braided it. "One metalshop course, and suddenly you can assay our materials by sight? It'll be an amazing knife."

She let the subject drop, but couldn't help grinning smugly when the blade was dropped a week later, hitting the floor at an oblique angle and snapping clean off the hilt.

She'd known it was too brittle for what he was planning. He should be glad she she didn't actually go up to him and _say_ "I told you so." She was sure thinking it, though.

* * *

_Verb: __In metallurgy, to analyze (an ore, alloy, etc.) in order to determine the quantity of gold, silver, or other metal in it._


	144. Gumption

_Day 144: Gumption_

* * *

"I didn't think you'd have the gumption for something like this. I know you're a headstrong child, but this goes beyond even that." Serenity paused, dread filling her at the sound of that very familiar voice.

"Mother." She replied, demurely, as she swept into a curtsey. Her dress got stuck in the bush she was using to disguise her escape, but she pretended not to notice.

Queen Serenity shook her head, amused by her daughter's attitude. "He's a good man. I would fully support this relationship if it weren't for politics being what they are."

That caused the surprise she was hoping for, and her daughter lifted her head, eyes wary. Queen Serenity continued on, after giving the child a moment to squirm. "However, I have to say that sneaking out, looking like that, was not your smartest idea. You may have fooled your Senshi, but I was young once too, and in love. A state those poor girls have yet to experience."

She held out a small object, and her daughter took it with her usual curiosity chasing away her embarrassed flush. "This is the Lunar Pen. Now, for goodness sake, change into something dark. You'll be in trouble if anyone else catches you sneaking out, and I'll have to pretend to get angry, and the politicians will gloat. So be careful, alright?"

The princess could hear her mother's unspoken words. They hung, heavy, between them for a moment. _Be careful, my child. I love you. Don't let this be the last time I see you_.

She threw her arms around her mother like she hadn't in years. "I'll be fine, Mommy. I promise." It was another throwback from before, when Serenity hadn't realized Princesses were any different from the other young girls she saw in the city. It, too, carried a message.

_I'll be careful. I'll be back. I love you._

* * *

_Noun: Initiative; aggressiveness; resourcefulness._


	145. Usufruct

_Day 145: Usufruct_

* * *

There was a place, in the park, that was known throughout Juuban. It was where families gathered on lazy Sundays, where young couples escaped to for a stolen moment, and where old couples sat to enjoy the days rushing by. All in all, it was probably the most romantic place in the area.

It currently looked like the site of a rampaging bulldozer.

Mamoru stared in horrified awe at the scene he'd been led to by his flustered and obviously embarrassed girlfriend. Trees were uprooted, gentle hills flattened, and flowerbeds razed. It looked nothing like the serene place it had been.

"We... uh... got a little enthusiastic during training. It... ah... This... Um... Well, things happened. We... Er... Need your help fixing it."

"I can't fix this!" He exclaimed, flabbergasted that they would even think he could. His magic wasn't the sort that _could_ fix this. He could make all the plants come back to life, but he couldn't fix the earth. It wasn't wounded, just moved. He couldn't recreate the stream. It wasn't harmed, just scattered.

"We'll help. Just... Please?" Five pairs of remorseful eyes gazed sadly at him, and he could feel his resolve weakening.

"Fine!" He snapped, rolling up his sleeves from habit before his royal garb washed over him. "But next time, kindly remember that usufruct _forbids_ crazy, super-powered, alien teenaged girls from ripping up my lawn!"

* * *

_Noun: The right to use the property of another as long as it isn't damaged._

_... I don't even... I think this is proof that I need to get off the computer right now and go to bed. That's really the only excuse I can come up with._


	146. Apodictic

_Day 146: Apodictic_

* * *

Although they were very happy with the results of her actions, the other Senshi were all very confused as to Usagi's reasoning behind not destroying Chaos, back at the cordon. Or, to be more precise, that she was 'reasoning' at all. Even now, as Eternal Sailor Moon, she tended to get flustered when someone was missing, and almost break down when someone mentioned any one of their (unfortunately common) 'deaths'. The idea that she was able to think that rationally, when faced with the destruction of all of them, didn't mesh well with what everyone else knew of the girl.

Amy was part of the group that was finally able to convince her to explain her logic more fully. She was also the only one who was able to pay attention through the whole long, rambling, often off-topic explanation. So, when Rei demanded a better answer, it was Ami who summarized.

"She considers it apodictic both that she would resurrect us, and that there would be a force of Chaos anyway. Letting that one keep its job was more to keep Minako from snitching the title than anything else.

* * *

_Adjective: Necessarily true or logically certain._


	147. Abject

_Day 147: Abject_

* * *

Makoto stared, her eyes almost bulging out of her head as she took in the monstrosity before her. Dimly, she could hear her friend and monarch talking about how children will be children, and that the princess was only two. She didn't respond. Her eyes were glued to the abberation the blonde wanted her to fix somehow. It was streaked, and painted, and half pulled apart. Seams were cut, and the ribbon unravelled.

The Senshi of Lightning, considered to be the bravest of them all, looked at the mess that was her friend's ceremonial gown in abject horror and whimpered.

* * *

_Adjective: Utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched._

_100 words! Yay! And I know I've used both Cauldron and Cordon in stories recently. It's really just the difference between using Negaverse and Dark Kingdom. It really doesn't make any difference. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!_


	148. Torque

_Day 148: Torque_

* * *

"Too much torque on your spin there, Minako." Makoto grinned at the blonde, understanding her actions. Still, the taller woman was glad she wasn't going to be held accountable for them.

"Ami hasn't called us yet. That must mean everything's alright." Rei added, smirking slightly. "Still, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when..."

"MINAKO!" Came the shriek they were expecting, cutting off Rei mid-sentence. They turned to see their Queen stalking towards them, anger in every line of her body. "Just _what_ do you think you're doing, missy?"

Minako just shrugged, looking sullen while her ruler reamed her out. "How many time do I have to tell you this, you crazy ditz! Just because they're tough enough to not get hurt _doesn't make it okay to hurl little Senshi over the palace wall_! Now you go apologize to Vesta! And if you ever do this again, so help me, I will assign you to sit next to the oldest, deafest, funniest-smelling, most lecherous diplomat I can find for the next _year_! Don't doubt me on this!"

Makoto slunk away, shaking her head. Rei had escaped the moment Serenity showed up. "Doesn't take much to turn that one into a petty tyrant. I suppose I should be glad she only uses it to punish Minako." She winced as a high pitched shriek followed her from the courtyard. "Or I could wish she was never like that. I'm rather fond of my hearing."

* * *

_Noun: The moment of a force that tends to cause rotation._

_Sorry about the hiatus. This summer cold I've picked up managed to wipe me right out. I don't even want to move, and I've been sleeping more than is probably healthy, under normal circumstances. I really hope the stories are worth the wait, and I'll endeavour not to let this happen again._


	149. Canonical

_Day 149: Canonical_

* * *

"But _Rei_..." Minako whined, giving her friend her very best puppy dog eyes. "It's practically canonical. _Please!_"

"_No!_ No, no, no, no, NO! I don't _care_ what that 'based on a true story' live-action made-for-TV movie says! I do _not_ juggle fireballs!"

* * *

_Adjective: Authorized; recognized; accepted._

_I really wanted to say CBC movie, but I figured the refrence would be lost. Still, for any that do get it, that's what I'm thinking._


	150. Zugzwang

_Day 150: Zugzwang_

* * *

Venus carefully picked her way over to where Mercury was huddled, still half buried in the rubble. The practical girl had curled around herself, protecting her vital areas, and hadn't moved out of it yet. The blonde second-in-command limped slightly, her one ankle having folded wrong under her when she dropped. Mars, meanwhile, was occupied wrapping bandages around the claw marks that scored Jupiter's arms. She ignored, for now, the inhumanly long, finger-shaped bruises on her own neck. Jupiter noticed, and sifted through the rubble around them for a shard of their protective dome, which she then held up to the bright red contusions.

Venus lifted the last of the remains of the ceiling off of the team strategist, and was unsurprised to find that the girl was cradling the broken remains of her visor. Really, they had been incredibly lucky that the enemy that would think to threaten eyes had picked the one person with Senshi affects that could function as an eyesheild.

Sailor Moon, on the other hand, looked nothing like her colleagues. She was uninjured, and furious. Red-faced, hands-clenching furious. They knew, without having to ask, that the reason she wasn't helping them out was that she didn't trust herself to keep calm enough to give aid at the moment.

They couldn't blame her. It had been another battle that had been way to close, the girls only escaping serious harm due to their use as hostages. Sailor Moon had had to give up her tiara, wand, hair pins, and communicator to get them brought out, visibly unharmed. Next was supposed to have been another trade, the silver crystal for the lives of the Senshi.

They'd all recognized the way her throat worked, and had had time to cover their ears before a supersonic scream had torn through the building, bringing it crashing down upon them. Mercury had kept her wits enough about her to protect herself and her sisters with an ice dome, but beyond that all they could do was wait until the dust had settled.

Their enemies hadn't known what was coming, hadn't even realized that the hair gems could _be_ used as a weapon. And Sailor Moon had had plenty of time to ready her final attack while her foes had dodged falling timber.

They walked out slowly, Mercury supporting much of Venus weight. "Next time," Their leader snarled, looking like a feral wolf, "That someone thinks to trap us in a zugzwang, I won't be content to merely drop a building on them. Next time, I'm going to kick them in the face!"

Her friends paused for a moment, taking in their leader's words before bursting out into almost hysterical laughter. "Only you, Sailor Moon," They told her, "Would consider getting kicked in the face worse than having your lair dropped on you."

* * *

_Noun: A situation in which a player is limited to moves that have a damaging effect._

_Day 150, even if it's a little late. Thanks for sticking with me that long, and here's to more in the furture!_


	151. Dearth

_Day 151: Dearth_

* * *

"Is it just me, or is there a real dearth of hot guys at this party? Well, available ones, at least." Four pairs of eyes snapped to Venus, surprise warring with resignation in them.

"Venus, this is a celebration of the fact that women can now be found in almost any job. It's a party for feminists, thrown by feminists. _What_ made you think there would be cute, unattached males here?" Mercury asked, incredulousness evident in her voice.

The blonde crossed her arms and pouted. "A girl can hope." She replied, sullenly.

"That may be so," Jupiter informed her kindly, "But you shouldn't be so shocked when life doesn't give in to your demands. This is the wrong place to look for guys, and you should have known that."

"It's part of being a Senshi." Mars added, getting her leader's attention with her tone more than anything. "It's not all destroying enemies and looking valiant. This is important, too."

They could see, from the look of dawning horror on her face, that Minako had never fully understood, until this moment, just how much of being Venus was going to be incredibly boring.

She turned to her monarch, looking terrified. "You can have my pen, Serenity! Feel free to pick another Senshi. I'll be at the arcade if you need me to teach her anything." With that, she turned to flee.

"Get back here, Venus!" Neo-Queen Serenity commanded, grabbing the back of her commander's fuku. "If I can't even bring Endymion with me, I'm sure not letting you go either! Now behave, and I promise we'll go catch a midnight chick flick before we go back to the palace."

Venus slumped, but looked resigned. "Not even a week?" She beseeched her friend.

A startled look crossed Serenity's face, before settling into contemplation. "We'll discuss vacation time tomorrow. Now go mingle! And behave!"

"That's a bit much to expect from Venus, don't you think?" Mars muttered, causing her two companions to carefully hide smirks.

* * *

_Noun: An inadequate supply; scarcity; lack._


	152. Detente

_Day 152: Detente_

* * *

"This is a bad idea." Zoicite muttered, crouched carefully behind his best friend and doing his best to hide in the bushes. There weren't near as many of them as he'd like, since the guards and gardeners both were charged with making sure something like this _wouldn't _happen.

No one was supposed to be able to just _appear_ at the window of the heir to the Silver Alliance. Yet that was exactly what the irritable blonde and his troublemaking ward were trying to do.

"You say that every time." Came the amused comment from the taller man. He barely even bothered to lower his voice, so sure was he that, even if they were caught, nothing would come of it.

"I mean it every time too!" The green-eyed man hissed, grabbing his companion's shoulder to force the man to still. They remained that way until after the patrol had passed them by. "Mercury's glared at you five times already, and Jupiter purposely distracted those guards in the last patrol! And just because _they_ choose to overlook this, don't think everyone else will! We're trespassing, if nothing else!"

"You worry to much." He could almost hear Endymion's eye roll in the voice. He certainly couldn't see it, since the young man was entirely focused on his goal and not looking at his at all, but he could hear it. "Serenity and I are in love, and such a union would likely go far in easing Earth's relations with the rest of the solar system. This will work out."

Now it was Zoicite's turn to roll his eyes. He knew the sound of a mantra that's been repeated long enough to take on a life of its own, and the last sentence was one. However, he was not one to pass up a perfect opportunity for a lecture like this. "So you say, but consider how it would look to the members of the Alliance if we get caught: That young hoodlum the barbarian earthlings call a prince breaking into their sweet and perfect Princess's chambers, after, of course, stalking her, with the obvious intent of harming her chastity. That is hardly going to provide the detente you're thinking of! What happens if..."

"Endymion!" He was suddenly cut off by the appearance of a little slip of lunar royalty, who somehow managed to make her way across the empty courtyard undetected while wearing her white gown.

Zoicite grumbled, but slipped away. He could make his point sometime when his liege was _not_ kissing his love. Suddenly his face brightened, and he crawled away with a little more purpose. _Maybe Mercury will teach me Serenity's disappearing trick!_

It was worth a shot, anyway. Besides, he couldn't really consider any time spent with the Senshi of Logic a waste.

* * *

_Noun: A relaxing of tension, especially between nations._


	153. Feign

_Day 153: Feign_

* * *

She was pale, shivering, and bleary eyed. Her hair hunk in lank strands down her sweaty body, and her bangs glued themselves to her clammy forehead. Her nose was red, swollen, and runny, and her lips were almost blue, even though it was so warm in the room.

All in all, she was the very picture of ill-health. Neo-Queen Serenity Usagi Tsukino Chiba was one sick little bunny.

That didn't stop Ami from hauling her bodily out of bed, shoving her into the already-running shower in the en-suite, and standing outside the frosted glass, reciting the day's schedule.

"Ami, please!" Came the raspy whine from the woman in the shower. "Have mercy. I'm _sick_! I can't govern like this!"

"Tough!" Shot back her adviser, who was currently flipping through papers like she wasn't even paying attention to the complaints lobbed her way. "_You _were the one who not only decided to feign sick _all_ last week, but convinced Mamoru to do the same. Important things have been put off for quite a while. They simply cannot be put off any longer. You are showering, to rid yourself of the smell of sick, then you will use the luna pen to dress yourself, and then you are to present yourself in the throne room. If you do not appear in an acceptable amount of time, I will come back here and _drag_ you out by your ponytails! _Do you understand me?_"

At the nervous and conciliatory agreement, the sensible young woman turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

"That was a little harsh, Ami. Don't you think you might have gone a little overboard? She is really sick." Rei looked at her comrade worriedly, knowing it wasn't like the calm woman to put herself forward like this.

Ami snorted, unconcerned. "It's just a touch of the flu. She'll be over the worst of it by tonight, likely. All I've given her in appointments are the tedious, not-as-important-as-they-think ones. And next time, maybe she'll think twice of saying "Oh, Mercury can handle it", and then holing up in her room for a week to watch a Rainbow Brite marathon!"

Makoto and Minako, who had been lurking, not willing to to take on any of the dedicated workaholic's ire, exchanged glances.

"How did she convince Mamoru to watch a week worth of Rainbow Brite?" Emerald green eyes gleamed with curiosity, only to be met with a satisfied cerulean wink.

"The last two days were Robotech. Usagi'd never seen it. He needed her to do the puppy dog eyes, though."

* * *

_Verb: To represent fictitiously; put on an appearance of._


	154. Erubescent

_Day 154: Erubescent_

* * *

"Sailor Moon, get your act together! People are gathering! We need to get out of here!" Mars' urgings seemed to have little effect on the starstruck blonde, who was still sitting in the middle of the street, a rose in her hands.

Mercury, knowing how far gone her friend was where Tuxedo Kamen was concerned, decided to try a different tactic. "Come on, Mars." She said, grabbing the startled priestess' arm and hauling her towards the nearest building with a roof within jumping height. Her voice was pitched so that the heroine could still hear clearly. "We just had a good fight. After effort like that, we deserve a treat. Maybe cookies, or a milkshake. It's too bad our erubescent leader doesn't want to join us. I was going to offer to pay..." Mars caught on to the conspiratorial glint in the genius' eyes, and smirked. Both of them took off, running over the rooftops, just as a voice could be heard piping up behind them.

"Cookies! Hey! Wait up, you two!"

* * *

_Adjective: Becoming red or reddish; blushing._


	155. Somatic

_Day 155: Somatic_

* * *

"Usagi? Can you stand, Usagi? Here, lean on me." Rei frowned as she draped her friend over her shoulder. She knew there was nothing really wrong with the girl, but it was still worrying to be so disoriented.

Minako whistled, then slapped Usagi's shoulder lightly. "I'm impressed, girl. You should try out for the cheerleading team."

"If you could ever stand of your skates, you'd rival me at figure skating." Makoto put in, smiliing fondly at the disoriented blonde.

Usagi, who currently could not stand, had just had to use her Moon Spiral Heart Attack three times this battle, and it had taken its toll.

Ami had already checked her friend out, and was relieved to know that she was fine, save for being dizzy and a little tired. "Really, some of the somatic components of our attacks are so pointless! Just _what _is the baton routine actually supposed to _do_?"

* * *

_Adjective: Of the body; bodily; physical._


	156. Handsel

_Day 156: Handsel_

* * *

"Oh, for crying out loud." Ami muttered, looking around. This place, the latest location for a monster attack, had been totalled. Trees ripped up, buildings burned half down, civilians fleeing in panic...

It was a mess, to say the least. Not that that was a particularly big surprise, but it was still annoying. She hated how, when a new enemy first appeared, she had no idea what it was or how to fight it. She could figure it out, but it always took some time. Time in which the area around her was destroyed.

Rei, noticing her friend had stopped, slung a companionable arm around her shoulder. "It annoys me when I don't know they're coming too." She mock-confided, speaking low so the other gawkers wouldn't overhear. "Almost as much as it does when I can't deep fry them. At least they're usually defeatable, even if it is hard. The tougher monsters we know will be coming would be much worse."

"The fact that their handsel is weak is the _only_ saving grace in this situation. And as soon an we figure out their weak points, we'll make sure to _explain_, in _detail_, why they should just _leave this planet alone_."

Rei hid a smirk. Really, attacking during exams was probably the worst thing the enemy could have done. Now, as far as Ami was concerned, this was _personal_.

* * *

_Noun: __First encounter with or use of something taken as a token of what will follow._

_I've just moved, and getting internet's a little sketchy at the moment. I'm hoping to be caught up soon, but no promises. Also, the computer I'm currently on isn't mine and doesn't have a word processor, so forgive any spelling errors. I'll fix it later._


	157. Mantic

_Day 157: Mantic_

* * *

"Lost her purse. It'll show up later. There'll be no money in it, but she'll cry over having her pictures back." Michiru supplied, pointing at a rather harried looking lady.

Hotaru let her eyes linger on a girl who looked almost old enough to have graduated. "She thinks her boyfriend's going to propose, but he'll break up with her tonight. It's their four year anniversary."

Rei nodded towards a young-ish man in a business suit. "His wife isn't very healthy, though they don't know that. They've been trying for a kid for years, and have given up. She's pregnant, and will find out in a week. It will be a difficult pregnancy, but she'll deliver twins at six months. It will be touch-and-go for a week or so, but they'll put on weight quickly and come home far sooner than the doctor thought."

Michiru gestured to a young man nearby. "A girl he gave an obligatory White Day gift to last year will get her first boyfriend soon. He'll be insanely jealous, but won't realize it until she's going through a bad break up that she's over him. He'll win her back, but it'll take a _lot_ of work."

Rei snorted, then pointed out a young, nervous looking woman. "University student. She'll be planning on dropping out when she finds out she's sick. She won't hear from her boyfriend for a week after the doctor calls her, but it turns out he was getting in touch with the family he hasn't seen since a falling out years ago. His brother is a medical researcher, and is actually working on her disease. She'll get well, and have a spring wedding three years from now." She looked smug. No one had, as of yet, attempted something that far in the future.

Hotaru dropped her head slightly, and the others had been around long enough to know that that was the shy girls form of flicking her hair and snorting. She nodded towards the young woman whoes life would take the path Rei had just described. "Her oldest child will be a daughter. The girl will be a family hero after saving her younger brother from a car. He'll go on to become a famous detective, in memory of his siter."

The other two stared at the younger girl in shock while Ami approached them. "This is why the rest of us never hang out with you three together. If you're done abusing your mantic gifts, there's ice cream. If you'd here and continue your morbid form of people-and-disaster watching, I'm going to give them to Minako and Usagi. The choice is yours."

Without even looking at each other, the three seers stood up to flollow the genius. "Chocolate milkshake." Rei commented, breaking the silence.

Michiru shot her a look. "Strawberry sundae." She admonished lightly.

"Banana split." Hotaru insisted, looking excited.

"I said quit it." Ami broke in, her voice slightly muffled from looking the other way. She turned back to the girls with a light grin. "Besides, I didn't order you all the same thing. I don't need forsight to know what you want."

* * *

_Adjective: Of or pertaining to divination._


	158. Hoary

_Day 158: Hoary_

* * *

Michiru placed her had to her forehead and sighed. She'd been warned, but had brushed it off. There was no way, after all, that her sweet little girl was going to become a troublesome teen.

The fact that she was a seer only made this situation even funnier to the rest of the senshi.

"I don't _care_ if the inners all get upgraded henshin wands! Yours doesn't _need_ to be upgraded! It's very powerful, as are you, and considering it hoary isn't going to convince me you should go on a quest for a new one! You have school!"

Hotaru pouted, and Hotaru sulked, and then she went off to moan about her lack of upgrade to Chibiusa. Michiru just collaped onto one of her kitchen chairs. Haruka came in just as the aqua-haired beauty was moaning and rubbing her temples, and asked her love what was wrong. "Selene save me from teens are their attitudes! That's weapon that has served numerous warriors and survived since a time almost immemorial. It's not some bauble!"

The racer was silent for a moment, then broke into a grin."And going to the store and asking "Oh, what do you have for powerful magical artifact that turn the bearer into someone capapble of destroying universes" will probably land you on every government watch list there is."

* * *

_Adjective: __Tedious from familiarity; stale._


	159. Deadpan

_Day 159: Deadpan_

* * *

_This is going to be trouble. _Rei thought, trying not to glare at the petitioner at her temple. The girl, who had minor psychic abilities, had been rescued by the Senshi the day previously. Now she was at the temple, looking at Rei like the priestess had grown a second head.

"You! You're the one that rescued me yesterday! You're Sailor Mars." People were starting to stare, so the tempermental warrior thought quickly of how to diffuse the situation.

"Darn, how _ever_ did you know?" She replied, voice sarcastic and face deadpan. "After all, it's not like I'm busy enough running a temple, getting good grades, and trying to keep some semblance of an actual _life_. Of course I have time to run around the whole city in scandalously short skirts and dangerously high heels. Who doesn't?" She glared at the girl and moved past her. "This temple doesn't sweep itself. If you'll excuse me, _I_ have things to do!"

The girl looked so wounded as Rei swept past her, betrayed almost, that she couldn't resist adding something, her voice to soft for the other visitors to hear. "It's called a 'secret identity' for a _reason_! Tabloids aren't the only people that would _love_ to attack while I'm sleeping, stalk my family, and descend on my home. There's more at stake here than your feelings. Please remember that before blurting things like that out."

The girl had the grace to blush, and Rei couldn't help but smile. The girl's blunt honesty reminded her a little bit of her best friend. She had a feeling she'd be seeing lots of the young girl for a while. _Well, I always did want a sister_, she mused. _Besides, hero worship is always good for getting the steps swept._

* * *

_____Adjective: __Marked by or accomplished with a careful pretense of seriousness or calm detachment._


	160. Aureate

_Day 160: Aureate_

* * *

"Why do I always have to make the speeches? Can't Makoto make one for once?" Ami groaned and hid her face in the pillow, not interested in waking up for the morning's press conference.

"But Ami, you're the best at this! None of us can match your abilities. People actually line up because of how lovely your words sound, aureate and lyrical." Rei protested, shaking the other woman's shoulder somewhat imperiously.

"What if I just give you the written speech? You can say it. Or Minako can. She loves things like this."

Makoto snorted, then bodily picked Ami up out of her bed. "Not happening. It took us months to apologize appropriately for what she accidentally said at that science convention. The biologists were _not_ impressed."

* * *

_Adjective: __Characterized by an ornate style of writing or speaking._


	161. Gazump

_Day 161: Gazump_

* * *

"Don't!" The shout caught Usagi by surprise, and she jumped, looking around. Normally, she only heard that tone of voice when there was something big, powerful, and violent about to erupt out of her ice cream. Since she currently wasn't eating anything, and didn't sense any evil powers coming from the paper she was about to sign. Needless to say, she was quite startled by the apparent fearful urgency in her love's voice.

"Mamoru? What..." She trailed off as he stalked past her and grabbed the pen from her hand. She'd been just about to sign the lease on their first apartment. It had taken a lot of searching, but they'd finally found something they both thought they would really enjoy. He glared at the agent that was before them.

"This is not the price we agreed on." He stated, glaring at the agent.

The man gave them an oily grin, one obviously designed to quell their concerns. "You must be mistaken. I assure you, this is what we agreed on. It's a good price for this place."

Mamoru glared at the man, then turned to Usagi. He grabbed her hand and stalked out, not even bothering to say anything to the man now sputtering with rage behind them. "Try to gazump _me_." He muttered, obviously ticked. "I don't care _how_ nice the place is! I will _not_ put up with that!"

Usagi grinned and buried her face in his shoulder. "So," She commented, voice vaguely muffled by his shirt. "On taking over the world, will real estate agents be right after lawyers and reporters for getting vigorously straightened out?"

Mamoru paused, then looked fondly down at his fiancee. "Nah. Politicians first. They need it more."

* * *

_Verb: To cheat (a house buyer) by raising the price, at the time a contract is to be signed, over the amount originally agreed upon._


	162. Ambsace

_Day 162: Ambsace_

* * *

Winds whipped around them, all but drowning out the words being exchanged heatedly by the women on the knoll. They looked severely under dressed for the extreme weather, yet none of them seemed concerned about the rain or hail.

"What do you mean you can't find it? It's only the single most powerful item in the universe, and you _can't find it!_" Mars was livid, looking very much like the war god she was named for at the moment.

"Isn't it attached to you? I mean, can't you not transform without it?" Venus wasn't helping, asking obvious questions like she was.

"Great, just great!" Jupiter muttered, punching her hand in frustration. "This close, and we can't find it. What a time to find _that_ out."

Mercury looked up from her computer and glared in irritation at her oldest friend. "We're at the point of ambsace, and you decide to lose the Silver Crystal in your body _now_? Armageddon is _here_, and we're stuck trying to figure out what part of your soul your gem is stuck to? Your timing is _not_ appreciated!"

Sailor Moon sulked, pouting at her friends. "Well, at least I didn't forget it at home. Then we'd be _really_ sunk!"

The Senshi paused, then shivered in unison. Even just the idea was terrifying.

* * *

_Noun: The smallest amount or distance._


	163. Melismatic

_Day 163: Melismatic_

* * *

"Mamo-chan? Mamo-chan! Where are you, Mamo-chan?" The tall, dark-haired man cowered in the corner he'd been stuffed in. Ami walked out to greet her friends casually.

"What's going on, Usagi? Did you lose your husband?" She asked, looking concerned.

"apparently he can sing. He was talking to her earlier, and did the last few notes to music. Now she wants him to repeat it for all of us." Rei informed her, rolling her eyes.

Usagi pouted. "It was adorable! You _have_ to see it! Help me find him!" She demanded. Ami just shook her head, looking amused.

"I'm afraid I'm in the middle of something at the moment. If you record it, when you catch him, I'll watch it later." She continued on, and returned to her office a few minutes later, after Rei and Usagi had moved on.

She uncovered Mamoru, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Ami. I owe you one."

She smirked at him, obviously amused. "It's your own fault, you know. Melismatic flourishes aren't something it should take doing to realize might be a bad idea around her. She's not going to drop it, you know."

"I know." He sighed, then smiled reminiscently. "Still, she looked so sweetly shocked when I did..."

Ami snorted. Even now, a century later, and they still acted like young lovers. It was sweet, but she still thought it was funny. They were just so _adorable_.

* * *

_Adjective: Characterized by the singing of several notes to one syllable of text, for emotional impact, as in blues and other musical styles._

_I'm afraid todays was pre-empted by the 9 week old son of some family friends. Hopefully I'll be a little more consistent after the weekend, but I wouldn't put money on it. Thanks for being so patient. I hope you enjoy the stories, and that they're at least a little bit worth the wait._


	164. Entelechy

_Day 164: Entelechy_

* * *

"… And then, this world shall be ours! All will fear and worship me! And there is nothing you can do about…"

"_YES!_" A ringing cry broke through the villain's rant, and all eyes turned towards the soldier in blue, who had the grace to blush.

"Sorry, but I just maxed out the point counter on my Tetris game. I consider that more interesting than your speech, where you egregiously claim your take-over plans as entelechy." She said, though her voice was almost too soft to hear.

At this the villain puffed up indignantly, very annoyed at the cause of the interruption. "Insolent whelp! I shall destroy you all for this affront! Know, then, that the complete destruction of your world lies on…."

"Moon Tiara Action!" A glowing Frisbee cut the foe off, and Super Sailor Moon turned to her friend in fond exasperation. "Really, Mercury, this isn't the time for that! We were in a fight!"

The soldier of logic shrugged. "I already told you she was weak against your tiara magic. All you needed was a distraction in which to use it. Though, I did expect that to come more in the form of a fireball or a rose, but Tetris seems to have worked just as well."

No one was quite sure what to say to that, but Venus finally did break the silence. "So, if you've finished it, what's next?"

Mercury blinked at her, but answered anyway. "I'm going to try and beat 100 000 000 000 in less than an hour. I've been at it for two, so far."

* * *

_Noun: __A realization or actuality as opposed to a potentiality._


	165. Hacienda

_Day 165: Hacienda_

* * *

"Makoto... What is this?" She looked up sharply at the entrance of the man she jokingly referred to as her brother-in-law cautiously headed towards her.

"Roses." She replied dreamily before smirking at him. "You, of all people, should know that." She gestured down at the flowers she was holding, the aforementioned roses.

"I know those are roses." He responded a might testily. "I mean, what are _these?_" He flung his arms out, showing that he meant _all_ the flowers, bushes, trees, and vines that she was currently cultivating, not just the ones she was working on at this moment.

She blinked at him. "The Royal Gardens." She replied promptly, her tone implying that she was questioning the state of his mental health.

"Why do you call them that?" He asked her, and she looked at him even more quizzically.

"Because they will be the gardens of the Crystal Palace, when you get around to building it."

"Right." He responded, looking faintly smug now. "And exactly where, on these acres of land set aside for us, is there room to build a _palace_?"

She looked around her then, suddenly seeing how she'd filled every available space with either a plant or a pathway. She blushed slightly. "There's not even room for a _gardening shed_, let alone a palace."

"Exactly." He sighed, then surveyed the area. "You're going to have to uproot that whole section over there. We'll put the palace there, and not disturb the feng shu thing you have here. It'll still look, oh, balanced, I guess would be the word."

She nodded at his choice, but looked immensely sad all the same. "My plants..." She moaned softly, not meaning for him to hear.

He did anyway. The girls always forgot just how good his hearing was. "Cheer up." He slapped her back companionably. "What you want isn't a garden, but a hacienda. I arranged for you to get a hacienda. You just have to promise me that you'll stop using _my_ gardens as your personal playground. You can have the kitchen. The gardens here at the palace are _mine_!"

* * *

_Noun: A large estate, especially one used for farming or ranching._

_... As fun as it was, weddings are a lot less work when you're not in the party. Especially when the best man is MIA and the promised classic cars aren't ready yet. On the other hand, my sister is happy, and that makes it all worth it._

_Oh, and something else you might find interesting. Seatbelts can be taken apart, cleaned, and serviced by someone with no prior knowledge of their inner workings. Not to say you should do this at home, but still. They worked properly too, though testing them probably isn't a good idea. My brother was quite shaken, though unharmed, and the car never did make it into the wedding procession. Just so you know why I've been gone. I'll have the other stories for you tomorrow, but my brain is fried right now. _


	166. Aesopian

_Day 166: Aesopian_

* * *

Patience was not usually in high supply around the Senshi. Rei, with all the responsibility of the temple on her shoulders, often found it difficult to be idle. She was more accustomed to being always busy, and found having nothing to do grated on her nerves. Makoto, living on her own, was the same way. There was no one there for her, to wash her clothes, cook her meals, clean her messes, or wash her dishes. Anything that got done, she did. That left her as little spare time as Rei's schedule did, though the priestess was better at fitting schoolwork into all of the busy. Ami felt that any moments spent in idleness should instead be spent in the pursuit of knowledge. Despite popular opinion, this didn't always mean having a nose in a book. It involved artistic pursuits, brain puzzles, mental math, and other such activities. As for the two blondes of the group, well, often they were asked if certain special circumstances that made people unable to focus applied to them.

That was what made it so odd that no one cut Minako off in one of her long, drawn-out, rambling explanations. Finally she finished the story, the entire point of which had been lost in the excessive segues and tangents she'd explored during the course of her oration. Looking around, she started pouting when she realized no one had been listening.

Rei had made a whole pile of sutras on the special paper she'd picked up before coming to the arcade. Usagi was fully absorbed in deciding what sort of blue to use in the rather horrific ode to her patient boyfriend she was writing (she was going through an 'artistic' stage. The language teachers had taken to hiding in the nearest room every time they spotted odangos, causing one rather notorious rescue from a broom closet with a recently painted door). Ami, who had run into Makoto in the bookstore before both girls had walked to the arcade together, was halfway through her new Sudoku book. Makoto, on the other hand, had skimmed all of her new cookbook, and was currently involved in writing the week's grocery list.

Spotting the look of growing discontent on her friend's face, Ami decided to translate the last ten minutes into how everyone else would have said it. "Boys and their friends are like trying to match different blacks. Even the nice, true ones never seem like it when they're near the others." She turned to her loudmouthed friend then, a conciliatory smile on her face. "Maybe you should leave the aesopian stories alone, Minako. You don't have any more luck with them than you do with sayings."

* * *

_Adjective: Conveying meaning by hint, euphemism, innuendo, or the like._


	167. Overslaugh

_Day 167: Overslaugh_

* * *

"Yes. Yes. I know. Yes. No. I said no. Really. Yes."

Usagi, newly crowned and still not comfortable with the name Neo-Queen Serenity, leaned over to whisper conspiratorially to Rei. "Who's Ami talking to? She seems exasperated."

"Her mother called." Rei responded, sympathy in her voice. She'd already fended a call from her father, earlier. Not that Ami had anywhere near as strained a relationship with her daughter as Senator Hino, the two were as close as a very busy mother and masked superhero equivalent daughter could possibly be, considering the amount of classified information each had, yet the first conversation after Ms. Mizuno discovered that her daughter had spent a high percentage of her middle school and early high school days running around after dark in a miniskirt was not likely to be a fun one. Minako had flat-out _refused_ to speak with her mother, at least for another week. Usagi's family seemed to take it in stride, oddly enough. Except for a little bit of doom-saying from her little brother, they almost didn't even seem to notice.

Rei blamed that on being brainwashed too many times.

Their attention was brought back to the girl on the phone by an agonized howl every teenager in the world was familiar with. "_MOTHEEEEEER!_ I do _not_ want to rule, and Usagi did not overslaugh me! She deserves it! Really, I'm happy with my position. No. No. No, no, no, no, no! Mother, I couldn't rule a _henhouse_, let alone a _planet_! Trust me, it's for the best. I'm still here for her. No, not just me, the other girls too. Minako is _not_ a hooligan, Mother! Whatever, I still say she isn't. No, it's not just us. She has Mamoru Chiba too. Yes, that nice young doctor. They're married. Yes, married. You were invited. No, you didn't make it. Yes, they got your gift. Probably because you threw the thank you card out by accident. Yes you did, I saw you. Look, I have to go. This planet doesn't govern itself, you know. Yes. Yes, Mother. I love you too. Bye."

She hung up the phone and glared at her friends. "Quit laughing! It wasn't that funny!"

* * *

_Verb: To pass over or disregard (a person) by giving a promotion, position, etc., to another instead._


	168. Moxie

_Day 168: Moxie_

* * *

"I know you have more moxie than the planet could possibly be designed to hold, but this is still an insane plan." Ami informed her blonde friend, from their vantage point on the walls of the Crystal Palace.

"if it's such a bad idea, why are you here?" The blonde leader of the Senshi asked, shooting her comrade a wink.

"First aid. Plus morbid curiosity, I'm afraid. You're like watching a car crash. You just can't look away." Her tone was wry, but her eyes were warm. Minako ignored her irregardless, too busy spying on the royal couple below.

"You know I'm right, though. This window is a weak point. If they really need an open air one, it has to have mesh, at the least. Besides, they've been late for breakfast for the last three days. This'll get them up. Two birds in the glass bush, and all."

Ami sighed and closed her eyes briefly as Minako pulled out her water gun. "That doesn't mean this is a good idea, you know."

* * *

_Noun: Vigor; verve; pep. __ and aggressiveness._


	169. Nervure

_Day 169: Nervure_

* * *

"This… is a giant plant, Makoto. Really, do you think you should keep something like this in your apartment? What is your landlord going to say?" Rei stared at the plant in awe. It looked like something you would see in movies on a jungle planet.

The chef just shrugged, absorbed in her cooking. "Ami asked me to keep it here. She said it would be happier here. Mamoru and her were working on it together. I think it's partially sentient."

"Sentient?" Rei asked nervously, moving away from the giant green… thing.

"Something like that. It moves without wind, sometimes. And it feels, well, happy, when I'm around it. Not enough to be a danger or anything, just enough to feel love."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." Rei muttered, looking at it suspiciously.

"It, and what they were doing with it, has to do with Usagi being able to wake the planet up after the long sleep without draining all of her energy. Something about the nervure being an easy path for magic. It's, oh, a centering point. And they left it with me so that it would know love, and respond with its own energy when she uses her magic. She'll wake up the people, and this little thing will do much of the work waking up the planet itself." Makoto nuzzled the plant fondly, and Rei blanched.

She'd fought monsters, been captured, been killed, travelled to different dimensions, and seen all sort of amorphous blobs in her short life. Despite that, there was only one comment she felt capable of making to this revelation. "That thing is freaky."

* * *

_Noun: A vein, as of a leaf or the wing of an insect._


	170. Chaptalize

_Day 170: Chaptalize_

* * *

"What. Did. You. Do?" Neo-Queen Serenity asked her daughter, danger in her voice.

Chibiusa wasn't worried. She knew her mother wasn't actually angry at her. However, circumstances had dictated that she would be mad at _someone_, and the only other option had been shipped home right after dinner.

The dinner where he'd gotten completely smashed and declared his intention to marry the princess, and his disdain for not only his would-be intended, but the monarchs and every other country in general, and their representatives in particular. No one had been particularly happy leaving that dinner. Except Chibiusa, who knew she was now well free of the slimy snake.

"I took the opportunity to chaptalize his wine. I wanted him to be sent home, so I added sugar. The rest, he did all by himself."

* * *

_Verb: To increase the alcohol in a wine by adding sugar._


	171. Amaranthine

_Day 171: Amaranthine_

* * *

"I'm afraid I didn't hear you." Setsuna's voice was soft, her face pleasant, but all the women in the room felt a slight chill pass over them. It was the night of the annual Senshi Slumber Party, and Minako had had, as she usually did these times, a few too many drinks. She then said, as her friends had come to expect, some rather unwise things.

This time, however, she was likely going to get all the inners in trouble with her.

Ami spoke up, hoping to sooth the ruffled feathers of one they didn't want to annoy, her having eons of experience in holding grudges.

Bad for Chaos, whom she still despised in all its incarnations, yet Ami couldn't help wishing the eldest Senshi wasn't quite so vindictive at this moment.

"It was just… a wondering observation of your amazing, amaranthine qualities, that's all." The blue-haired woman replied, hoping to diffuse the anger before it really got started.

Minako, however, didn't seem to realize it was in defense of her, and ruined the effect.

_Snort!_ "What I said, is that you look pretty good for someone as old as you. Do you dye?"

The other women scattered as Setsuna did her best to smother one of her best friends with a pillow.

* * *

_Adjective: Unfading; everlasting._


	172. Willowwacks

_Day 172: Willowwacks_

* * *

"That does it! That absolutely does it! I refuse! If our missions involve bushwacking our way through another willowwacks, I am just going to raze it! All of it! I've had it with these leaves, and these welt from getting snapped by trees, and of Devil's Club! I've gotten attacked by that stupid plant three out of the last five training missions!" Sailor Moon was panting as she finished her rant, the pink-haired young woman having used up all of her considerable lungpower in an effort to make her point.

The Sailor Quartetto stared at her, shocked at her explosion. It was the green-haired tomboy who finally spoke up, willing to champion her idol even when it might not be wise. "Sailor Moon... Is that really a good idea? Imagine what Sailor Jupiter would do when she found out. Oh, and your father, too." She added, in afterthought.

Sailor Moon paled, and hastily backtracked. "Well... maybe only a little razing. They don't have to know, right?"

* * *

_Noun: A wooded, uninhabited area._

_So, right now, I'm sitting at being unable to sign on to this site twice, my computer crashing once (I didn't lose anything, thanks to autosave), and losing internet at least three times over the last day. Add that to a loooong car ride tomorrow, and I won't be back here till Sun, likely. I'll try to get these up sooner, but just in case._


	173. Billet

_Day 173: Billet_

* * *

"Remind me, once again, why we're here? Doing _this_?" Ceres' tone warned that there was no right answer to this question. Vesta answered anyway.

"Because we messed up the teleport, and got dropped in an alternate reality." She replied, sounding bored.

"I know that!" Ceres cried angrily.

"Pallas is confused. If Ceres knew that, then why did Ceres ask? Pallas though that was the reason for asking questions." The blue-haired bubblebrain looked at her sisters in confusion. Ceres sighed.

"It was a rhetorical question, Pallas. It's not meant to be answered." She explained patiently.

"If Ceres didn't wish an answer, why did Ceres ask the question?"

"She likes the sound of her own voice too much." Vesta replied. Ceres threw a rock at her.

"Pallas wonders where the Lady Princess has gone. Lady Princess has Juno with her, but they've been away from Pallas a long time." She mused worriedly, pulling Ceres and Vesta from their fight.

"You know where they are, Pallas. You're the one who devised this plan." Vesta informed her, looking at her elder sister quizzically. Stated questions were almost never questions with the girl. No one was quite sure how her mind worked, but Ami had declared her a genius after a series of problem-solving tests, so the other girls tended to refer to her while planning. So far, she had yet to steer them wrong.

However, they were still not happy at having sent their most important person, Chibiusa, off to procure alcohol for the ferryman with only Vesta as back-up. They needed the alcohol, which the two girls were charming out of patrons at a bar, to bribe the ferryman, as they had no money. They needed to cross the river to deliver a letter, which would allow them to pick up a small shipment of iron ore for the blacksmith, who would billet them in his house after he got it. It seemed like an awful lot of work to go through just to spend the night on the floor in front of the fire, but they'd learned not to camp out after the first night. If you were out of shelter, no matter how mean of shelter it was, then animals attacked every hour through the night, like clockwork. Pallas had theorized something about entropy attracting random monsters to them, but Vesta personally believed this world just had a very temperamental patron deity of inns.

Her musings were broken by the sound of voices she didn't realize she was so anxious to here until then.

"For the last time, we don't _care _about your Xandra! All _we_ want to do is get _our_ Princess back to _our_ world!"

Chibiusa and Vesta topped the hill, accompanied by the oddest looking person the girls had ever seen. He seemed to be wearing nothing but a long tunic, tights, large boots, and a hat that vaguely reminded Vesta of the old stories of an outlaw in a forest.

He also had an even odder companion, one that was currently berating Juno. It seemed to be nothing more than a glowing ball of light with wings. "You can't have _any_ of the princesses around or of Hyrule! They are needed to release the powers in the temples, and that's needed if we are to defeat Chaos and his evil minion, Ganondorf!"

"Hush, Naavi!" The young man commanded, looking suspiciously at the girls. "These strangers do not need to be informed of how the magic of the realms works."

"Look," Chibiusa said, looking exasperated. "All we did was ask if there is a master of interdimensional travel nearby, or else a powerful magician. We were, as I've told you before, accidentally dumped here. We have no intention of taking _any_ of your princesses! All we want is to _go home_!"

The strangely dressed man crossed his arms and glared at her, obviously not convinced. Ceres sighed exasperatedly. "First the accommodations, then this. Isn't _anything_ easy here?"

* * *

_Verb: To provide or obtain lodging._

_... Aaaand this is what happens when your brother decides to give you a plot, to help out. Plus when you decide to write it on five hours of sleep, and seven hours into a nine hour drive. I hope you like it._


	174. Mundify

_Day 174: Mundify_

* * *

"But you _know_ what happens when _adults_ like _you_ and _him_ are alone…" Minako winked, and Usagi, who was already bright red, managed to blush harder.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Minako! Leave the poor girl alone, or I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap!" Rei broke in, defending her friend. Today, of all days, was not for picking on the odango'd blonde.

"Wouldn't help." Ami quipped, winking at her lodest friend. "It would be like trying to get rid of fhubarb by breaking off the stalks. For Minako, we'd have to mundify her mind."

Minako stuck her tongue out at the genius, who smirked back and opened her mouth to speak. She was cut off by Makoto, who was gently but firmly pushing them out of the room. "Argue later, girls. We did our duty by abducting Usagi from the wedding to the hotel. If we're still here when Mamoru, who has nowhere _near_ as competent escape-help, gets away, we'll be in biiiiiiig trouble. And _you_," She said to the somewhat dazed bluenette, "Are not allowed to drink any more. If you're slamming Minako, you're at the perfect level of drunk for a wedding. Any more, and you just might think you can dance on the speakers."

* * *

_Verb: To purge or purify._


	175. HolusBolus

_Day 175: Holus-bolus_

* * *

Sailor Moon was late for a battle. That in itself wasn't news, but she was still berating herself as she ran for the park where the disturbance had been reported. So intent was she on her goal that she squawked in surprise as she was pulled into a small hidey-hole in a lilac bush.

"Shhh!" Mars demanded, looking wild-eyed as she shushed the still startled Moon soldier.

"You don't want to go out there." Venus told her, speaking softly and looking uncharacteristically sober.

"What's wrong?" She asked seriously, her earlier annoyance forgotten. She could still hear sounds of battle, and had noticed that there were only four people hiding in the bush.

Jupiter's face was buried in her hands, and her shoulders were shaking. Moon wondered what could have caused such a determined fighter to act like that, and shuddered.

"Mercury's gone crazy." Venus informed her. "She's screaming something about things happening 'holus-bolus', and I've never even _seen_ the attacks she's using on that thing."

"She clipped Venus by accident. That's when we decided it was better to hide." Mars added.

At this point, Jupiter couldn't control herself any more. She fell over on her side, laughing. "That's because she was trying to study yesterday when Venus drug her bodily on a double date. College entrance exams are next week, so a battle is the last thing she feels she needs right now."

* * *

_Adverb: all at once; altogether. _

_I had to look this one up on four different sites, since the definition on the word of the day page DID NOT match the examples. This is what I found that at least two sites agreed on._


	176. Burke

_Day 176: Burke_

* * *

"… Okay, I'll bite. _How_ did you manage to convince Minako to go buy us ice cream? And why across the street? I know it's custom made, but it'll take her _forever_ to get back with it!"

Ami was silent for a moment, then closed her book. She turned to face Rei, an expressionless mask in place. "You know, Minako is in my class this year. If I remind her several times that she's got a history exam tomorrow, that probably means I have one too. And if everyone didn't spend so much of our 'study sessions' gossiping, maybe I wouldn't be so good at sending people off on nonsensical errands. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to practice reciting the rulers of the Edo period, not how to burke you guys. Really, didn't you get suspicious after I'd sent Usagi _and_ Makoto off already?"

* * *

_Verb: To suppress or get rid of by some indirect maneuver._


	177. Polemic

_Day 177: Polemic_

* * *

"What are you up to, Ami? You haven't moved in an hour." Rei took a seat next to the distracted genius, fully prepared to have to wait for an answer. When she was this distracted, it sometimes took the girl a while to get her thoughts back into an order that was understandable by anyone but her.

The raven-haired priestess was therefore understandably shocked when Ami's voice, though not sounding quite focused, answered her almost instantly. "I'm watching Minako argue with that philosophy student over there."

Rei turned to see her friend involved in a spirited discussion with one of the more annoying guys from her own faculty. From the gesticulating, it wasn't a very happy discussion on his part. Minako seemed to be enjoying herself.

Rei couldn't hear what they were saying, but Ami, who had picked up lip-reading while bored a few years previously, filled her in. "They're arguing about the merits of Aesopian fables, and Minako has so far managed to undermine almost every single one of his arguments by misquoting."

Violet eyes took in the angry flush on her classmate's face coolly. The man was a bore and a braggart, and she was rather enjoying his distemper. "How long have they been at it?" She inquired, curious.

Ami smirked. "About five minutes."

Rei raised her eyebrow. He was rather too much annoyed for that short of a time. "Fascinating." She replied dryly, having had her own experiences arguing with the ditzy blonde.

Ami shrugged, never turning her eyes from the scene before her. "Not really. The argument itself became repetitive after about one minute. The only reason to keep watching would be to observe the process of having an aneurism."

"Then why are you still watching?" Now Rei was curious. Ami never continued to observe things that bored her. And if, through some fluke she did, she was never as absorbed in them as she was now.

"I'm trying to decide if Minako's polemic comments are planned, or if her brain is just wired to be infuriatingly contrary." Rei snorted a laugh at this, but Ami wasn't done. "So far I'm leaning to odd wiring. I find it hard to believe _anyone_ could come up with the things she says purposely."

* * *

_Noun: A controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine, etc._


	178. Polysemous

_Day 178: Polysemous_

* * *

Minako had a couple of hobbies that her friends usually placed in the 'insane/suicidal' category. Her determination to correctly two-time guys at some point, for example. Or her seeming fascination with climbing tall things that really oughtn't to be climbed. Teasing rabid fangirls was also on the list. As was her most dangerous idea yet: teasing either Ami, Michiru, or Setsuna until the ditz got a reaction. As it was, the other girls did learn some interesting things from this. Like Setsuna automatically attacking anything that touched her neck, especially from behind. Like Ami actually being willing to smash a CD player when Minako was playing some awful thing from America (she replaced it the next day, however). Like Michiru being ticklish along her spine (Haruka had disapproved of the following where-else-is-Michiru-ticklish hunt. Even Minako listened to an irate Haruka).

Even Minako, however, wasn't actually trying to be troublesome one day when they found out another one of Ami's pet peeves. That just seemed to come naturally.

"Usagi, would you at least _try _to pay attention to the parts of speech? The whole reason we're doing this is your English test tomorrow." The exasperated genius asked, running a hand through her short hair in a gesture of futility.

"I appreciate it, Ami, I really do. Without your help, I'd have even less idea of the difference between nouns, adverbs, and the rest of those things. Then what would I do?" She batted her eyes at her friend in her patently ingratiating way.

"You could just google it." Minako replied, off-handedly, while she continued flipping through the magazine she was reading.

Ami turned on her then, almost hissing her displeasure. "You could just _look it up on Google_!" Ami corrected, eyes flashing. "Honestly, turning nouns into verbs is a bad habit of the improperly educated, and does nothing but add more confusing, polysemous words to the language!"

Minako cowered behind her book as Ami continued to rant, though her voice was carefully controlled to not alert the rest of the arcade's patrons to her displeasure. Normally she delighted in making Ami react, but also normally she was _trying_ to do so.

* * *

_Adjective: Having a diversity of meanings._


	179. Jointure

_Day 179: Jointure_

* * *

"Your mother's got a pretty sweet deal. All she has to do is look pretty while your father runs the planet. Plus, if anything happens to him, she gets everything. I'm surprised he doesn't have the equivalent of her guards, just to make sure that doesn't happen."

Chibiusa stared in fascinated horror at the young man she was currently speaking to. She'd known from the moment he arrived that he was a troublemaker, but hadn't realized until just this moment quite how ambitious, and stupid, for that matter, that he actually was.

"I… Don't even know what to say to that." She informed him, still trying to gather her thoughts from the corners of her mind that they'd run to, as if afraid stupidity could be catching.

"Maybe you should bring it up with him. After all, I'm sure everyone would feel a little safer with a few more _men_ around here." He didn't even try to be subtle with his emphasis, and the pink-haired princess felt her face turn almost the colour of her tresses in anger.

"First of all," She started, eyes blazing, "The planet isn't some jointure that Mother will just _get_ if something happens to Father. Second of all, if anything _was_ to even _try_ to threaten him, you'd see why the palace doesn't need more elite guards. Third, there were originally guardians of Fathers, with powers the rough equivalent of the Senshi. They betrayed Father, caused the downfall of one nation and the decent into the dark ages of another. No one would feel safe at all, let alone more safe, with them around. Fourth, even if he was looking to replace the Shitennou, he wouldn't even consider someone as _arrogant, rude, scheming, _or _stupid_ as _you_ to do so! Now go! Leave this gathering, and leave this court! Those that speak ill of the monarchs are not welcome here!"

* * *

_Noun: Property given to a woman upon marriage, to be owned by her after her husband's death._

_... There really is only one marriage in this thing. That's why all the marrige words just have to deal with them. Still, the courtier should be happy he was talking to Chibiusa and not Makoto. That would have been funny._


	180. Purloin

_Day 180: Purloin_

* * *

"Really, sweetheart, is this the best idea?"

Chibiusa squeaked and turned around, almost falling over her own feet as she reacted to the tired authority in a voice she knew very well.

"Daddy… What are you doing up this late?" She carefully hid his ceremonial sword behind her, though she was sure her father had already seen in.

"Probably the same thing as you." He replied, giving her a look that told her she wasn't fooling him at all. "It's my sword, after all. If someone's decided to move it to a safer place in the middle of the night, it should probably be me." He gave her a hard look then, one children have known as the 'or else' look for as long as humans have existed. "That _was_ what you were doing, wasn't it? You came here because you felt the same hint of someone disturbing the sword, not to purloin it yourself, didn't you?"

His eyes flicked away from her, and she remembered that they were in the palace, and that their every move was being recorded. Not that anyone but Mercury would ever see it, but if there was an inquiry into the demise of that boorish lout from earlier, the records might be called up. Her shoulders sunk in defeat, and she scuffed the toe of one of the black boots of her ninja outfit on the floor. "Yes, Father."

"And the reason for sneaking down here like a thief in the middle of the night?" He prompted.

"I didn't wish to alarm anyone. My powers are still growing, and there is a chance this was a false alarm. I thought it was better to be safe than sorry, however, and came to remove the possibly troublesome item." She temporized, and knew she'd gotten it right when her father smiled at her.

"Good girl. Now, I have something I'd like to discuss with you. Since we're both here, it would seem an appropriate time, yes?" He took the sword from her, then wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and steered her from the room.

"Sure." She responded, suddenly confused.

"The young man you were talking with earlier this evening wished to become an elite guard, similar to one of the Senshi, only beholden to me. Correct?"

"Yes." She ground out through gritted teeth. His comments still made her blood boil.

"Well, I think we should give him a chance."

"_WHAT?_" She shrieked, turning out of his grip to stare at him in shock. She couldn't believe her father would say something like that, especially after what the man had said, or at least implied, about the queen earlier.

"I said 'I think we should give him a chance.'" Endymion responded, an unholy glee lighting up his eyes. "After all, what better way of seeing if he's up for the job than to have him join you and the girls in training, right? That'll bring your numbers up to six, so you won't even have to take breaks! Besides, aren't both Venus _and_ Jupiter training you next week?" He winked as he said this, and Chibiusa felt a matching feral grin slide onto her face.

"Why, of course they are, Daddy." She replied sweetly, filing away the note that she was going to have to find Jupiter in the morning to explain the shift in duties to her. "It'll be good to be able to fight for a couple hours straight, without needing to take those pesky breaks. How else will we know if we can?"

* * *

_Verb: To take dishonestly; steal._

_Thanks to Kellybug for the possible epilogue to yesterday's story. It didn't quite work out the way you suggested, but it was a lot of fun to write. _

_Also, thanks to everyone who reviews. I try to send personal thanks, but might occasionally forget, or just be unable to. It means a lot to me, and I'm so happy you're liking the stories. _


	181. Runic

_Day 181: Runic_

* * *

"Is there some sort of runic message behind our names?" Vesta asked idly, while she was supposed to be doing an essay for Sailor Mercury.

Chibiusa raised her head to look at her friend. "Hunh?"

"Is there some secret and powerful reason behind our names?" The red-head repeated, sending on odd look to her friend.

The pink-haired princess tilted her head to the side, thinking about it. "You know, I'm not sure. All of my mother's Senshi have names that suit their personality. For you guys, it's a little more of a stretch. Ceres _was_ considered a goddess of motherhood and fertility, as shown by her flowers. It also explains why she's more likely to baby us than Venus ever did for her comrades.

"Pallas was part of the goddess Athena's name, Pallas Athena. She was in charge of war, wisdom, and technology. It's a little skewed, but all of those sort of line up for her.

"Juno was… Juno was Jupiter's wife. She was the queen of the gods, and in charge of marriage and children. That… has little to no application for our Juno." She winked at her green-haired friend, who stuck out her tongue.

"As for Vesta, she was the virgin hearth goddess. I think she would probably be _horrified_ at having to share that name with you…" Discussion over names was suddenly put on hold as Vesta tackled a troublemaking friend, pillow in hand. Philosophy only has so much grab on teenagers, after all.

* * *

_Adjective: Having some secret or mysterious meaning._

_As of today I am leaving on a journey that will, if I have my way, cover many countries and possibly years. I will do my best to keep updating this, and other stories, while I'm gone (writing isn't exactly something you can just not do), but it will not be very consistent. Be patient, and I will be back to this one. I can't guarantee that I'd do all the back ones I missed, but I will come back to it. I wish I had a better story to offer you with this news, but runic is not being nice to my head. _

_I've enjoyed working on these, and I thank you all for reading them. Next time you hear from me, I'll be on the other side of the globe. Wish me well!_


	182. Footle

_Footle_

"Pallas has no idea what you're talking about. Nope, nope, nope! Why, Pallas is actually offended that you would suspect her of doing such a thing! Pallas is a good guardian!" The blue-haired girl crossed her arms and glared at her sisters, flames all but shooting from her eyes.

"This is no time for your footle!" Ceres exploded. She had been all that kept the two youngest from physically going after their other sister, but it seemed she was at the breaking point too.

Mercury, all but totally hidden in the shadows, decided it was time to intervene, before the girls hurt one another. The situation was bad enough without adding feuding, injured Senshi to the mix. "Girls, how about you let me talk to her for a moment. I might be able to help."

The Sailor Quartetto gulped, looking nervous. They had hoped to resolve the situation without involving any of the Queen's Senshi, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. For Mercury to just show up, and not even ask what was wrong, only proved something they'd been desperately trying to avoid facing. They'd gotten in over their heads.

Mercury noticed their expressions, correctly inferred their thoughts, and barely managed to repress a smirk. Regardless of how amusing she found their naivety, now was not the time to gloat. She pulled Pallas into a nearby office, only realizing when she saw the posters of idols from the 20th century plastered all over the walls that it was Venus'. Pallas saw the grimace she didn't hide quickly enough, and giggled. Mercury gave her a light glare, but that only made the girl laugh harder. She sobered up quickly, though, and gave Mercury a look that was far more solemn and grown up than anyone else ever saw from her. They understood each other, her and Mercury. As well as anyone could understand another, at least.

In light of that understanding, she kept her comments down to one short sentence. "Pallas is a good guardian." There were whole worlds of meaning in those five words, and Mercury waded through them, looking for the few she needed to know.

"I understand, but she's been gone long past the danger zone. You were the last one with her." Hard blue eyes gazed unwaveringly into defiant ones a shade lighter. There was no give in either.

"Pallas is a good guardian." Mercury's mouth twisted at that, and she glared at the younger girl.

"_Yes_, I have that conversation and escape recorded. _Yes_, she was tracked, though she didn't know it. It doesn't matter! Somehow she managed to evade _me_." Pallas knew then, with the frustration in her mentor's voice, that this was the hardest part of it for the head of subversive security. Still, she couldn't break. Mercury was angry. Pallas was shattered.

"Pallas is a good guardian." She tried, oh, how she tried to keep her voice level. It was barely a hiccup, just a momentary hesitance. Still, for someone with a millennium of experience, it was enough.

Mercury softened immediately, understanding with heartbreaking clarity why the girl wouldn't do anything but repeat that phrase. She gathered the girl up into her arms, and the tears started falling. They'd been so hidden that no one had noticed them, not even Ceres or Mercury herself. Thin arms wrapped around her as the younger girl returned the fierce hug almost desperately. "It's alright, Pallas. It's alright. You didn't fail her. That's not why Chibiusa's gone missing. You did exactly what you should have. I'm proud of you, getting her out when security is so high. We both know she would have managed it anyway. This way, at least someone was there to watch her back and cover for her. That's what friends do. You didn't do anything wrong. It's not your fault!"

Pallas continued to try and squeeze all the air out of Mercury. "Pallas is a good guardian."

"Of course you are! Pallas is a wonderful guardian, and a prized friend." Mercury kissed Pallas' temple, desperately hoping to calm the despairing girl down. It seemed to work, as Pallas stilled in her arms, then pulled away. She straightened her uniform, then looked up. Her tears had stopped, and the shell visible before in her eyes was gone, replaced with a determination that made Mercury almost nostalgic.

"Pallas is a good guardian." The determination in her face was matched by that in her face. This young woman _would_ find her Princess, and _would_ protect her, being everything that could ever be contained in the phrase 'good guardian'.

Mercury smiled, and raised her hard to Pallas' face, magicking her tears away as if they'd never been. "I know you will." She handed the younger girl a small palm projector, pre-loaded with all the information of Chibiusa's disappearance from the previous day. "Now go join your team. They need you, even if those two hot-heads are busy convincing Ceres that they don't."

Pallas gave her a swift smile, the first of its kind since this incident had begun. Mercury collapsed into Venus' chair, fingers digging into her hair and hysterical laughter spilling from her lips. Eventually she got herself under control and gazed lingeringly at the door Pallas had left through. The four were already off palace grounds. She smiled then. They _would_ find Chibiusa. They _would_ protect their princess, no matter what.

They _would_ be alright.

_Verb: To talk or act in a foolish or silly way._

_*Yelps* I'm paying how much for internet here? Seriously, you kiwi's are being robbed!_

_Yes, I'm back. Sort of. I've only got 16 of the 30 some days I've missed, but I do have 16. They're going up in alphabetical order (except this and the next, as they follow each other) and without line breaks, but I'm sure you'll forgive me. I hope you enjoy, and that you've all had as awesome a month as I have._


	183. Collogue

_Collogue_

Pallas walked out, right into the middle of a heated conversation involving her supposed uselessness. She knew, however, that it was nothing but tension speaking and forgave it accordingly. Of course, they didn't have to know that…

"If Ceres, Vesta, and Juno wish to collogue, they had best take it away from where Pallas can hear. Should they wish, on the other hand, to track down Lady Usa-Sere (her own nickname for Chibiusa, one more often used when the girl _should_ be referring to her friend by her more formal title, Princess Lady Serenity), then I have some information for them." Her cold demeanour and use of a more formal title for the Princess underscored the icy determination she was feeling at the moment. It also emphasized her displeasure with her siblings, who had been looking to use her as a whipping boy.

Ceres was the first to respond, using her oft-discounted leadership talents to convince the two troublemakers to fall into line with only body language. "We follow, Pallas. Let's go find her."

With that they were gone, out of the palace and off. Pallas played Mercury's recording of Chibiusa for them as they ran towards the girl's last known location. It was past time to get this rescue underway.

_Verb: To confer secretly._

_A continuation of footle._


	184. Braird

_Braird_

"Harken, as mine enemy doth braird, mannered as thine garden in the spring…"

"Venus, I don't _care_ if you're starring in a Shakespearian play next week! Shut up and hit something!"

_Verb: __**to sprout; appear above the ground.**_


	185. Conglobate

_Conglobate_

"This has _got _to be the most useless lesson ever! Does it even _have_ a point?" Vesta whined. Juno's face, a study in frustration, said she agreed. Ceres frowned at her youngest sister, but didn't rebuke her, speaking for the eldest's stance on the matter. Only one seemed to disagree.

"Pallas thinks this is great!" The other three glared at their carefree sister, who had managed to get the knack of forming pure energy into a ball quickly, and was currently flipping a few balls of said energy around, learning to juggle with them. They didn't even break apart when she accidentally dropped them.

"Pallas would." Juno muttered, debating the merits of tossing her half-formed ball at her sister's head. Ceres, noticing the look, shook her head. It was too soon since the last time they'd almost burned down the palace for them to try something like that.

Even _the look_ didn't quell Vesta, however. The high-tempered red-head threw raw magic at the wall in frustration, catching a tapestry on fire and seriously singing her favourite chair. Her shriek of rage almost deafened the girls in the room.

Before they could even think of how to respond, the fire flickered out. Ceres was the first to notice the water dripping from the now saturated wall hanging, and to understand its meaning. "Uh oh."

"Destroying royal property again, girls? While I'll agree the tapestry was hideous, we only kept it because it was a coronation gift to their majesties, it didn't really deserve a fiery death, did it?" Mercury's face was its usual friendly mask, but the girls knew better now. Her matchless intellect, employed by the monarchs to keep the realm safe, seemed to take most of its challenges in finding inventive ways to punish them for infractions.

Juno and Ceres hung their heads. Pallas, knowing she hadn't done anything wrong and refusing to be cowed on principle, looked straight in Mercury's eyes as the Senshi of Ice looked them over. Vesta, however, was still in quite the temper, and was ready to unload her apparent grievances on the nearest available person. On a normal day she'd have thought twice about doing that to _any_ of the Queen's guardians, but today she didn't care.

"Well, at least it gave me _something_ from this _pointless _lesson, even if it was just the fleeting victory of destroying another hideous gift!"

Mercury gave the girl her blandest smile. "It doesn't look destroyed to me. What happened? Normally cotton burns quite well."

"That was because you…" The girl gasped then, as she realized what must have happened. "_You _did that! You were watching after you gave us this useless and impossible task, just waiting for us to mess up! Why, you…" Mercury raised her hand, and not even an incensed Vesta was crazy enough to ignore the demand for quiet. She subsided.

"I hardly think it's impossible. Pallas managed it after only a few minutes. As for being useful… Would you have rather I doused the entire room in freezing water to put out the fire? It would have worked. On the other hand, all of you were in the room too…" She trailed off as the girls realized what she could have done, had she been so minded. "The lesson doesn't actually have anything to do with the necessity of the ability to conglobate energy in the real world. On the other hand, having that level of control over your powers does, and the ball is just the first and easiest form to create. I was hoping you'd manage it yourselves, but that doesn't seem likely. Jupiter and Venus will be pleased, however. They've spent the last two days designing an obstacle course for you in the training yard that will require magical finesse and teamwork to defeat." She could see the horror in their eyes. Last time the two women had worked together on a lesson, they were sore for a week afterwards. "They're expecting you now. Very likely you have only a few minutes to get there, or they'll start the lesson with many, many push-ups. Go on, go!"

The girls ran off almost as soon as she shooed them on their way. Mercury grinned, then looked up at the tapestry. "It's a good thing we got _some_ use out of you." She informed it. "Handwoven or not, you really are a failure as a decoration."

_Verb: To form into a ball_


	186. Flounce

_Flounce_

The Venusian princess was almost more well-known in the Lunarian court than her ward, the Moon Princess herself. Be it fashion, fighting, flirting, or frolicking, she was highly sought after as a partner. She seemed to have opinions on everything, and shared them with everyone. That her notoriety was deliberate was known to no one but her trusted friends, the other Senshi, and her monarchs themselves.

Duty or not they were still some of her favourite things. Some of, as not one of them could hold a candle to her favourite pastime: Drama. As it was, she was currently creating quite a scene. It was hard to miss the scene, too, as Lady Venus was wearing a searingly bright orange dress made from enough fabric to clothe a fair sized village.

The gentleman who had somehow offended her rubbed his cheek ruefully as she stormed off, scattering people like birds and almost not fitting through the Great Doors. "Times like these," He mused, staring after her in something resembling awe, "I'm not sure if she has more flounce, or that dress does."

_Verb: To go with impatient, exaggerated movements._

_Noun: A strip of material gathered or pleated and attached at one edge, with the other edge left loose or hanging_


	187. Glace

_Glace_

It was truly a terrifying sight to behold. There it was, before them. Menacing. Horrifying. A shade not normally found in nature, which almost caused their eyes to water. With an umbrella on top.

Yes, an actual umbrella. Apparently today's villain was a giant margarita monster. It was gathering energy by draining it from the people who had drunk its evil concoction. On one hand, Mercury almost didn't want to vanquish it, as this street, normally notorious for its loud drunks, was quiet and serene. On the other hand, the monster had almost force-fed the stuff to Naru, who was very underage.

Nor was Naru the only casualty of the youma's disregard for legalities. An early attack had left Mars completely unable to aim, or stand, for that matter. Moon was once again bawling, not sure how they were going to defeat this thing when Mars, their usual heavy hitter, was out of it. Mercury had her own ideas on that, of course.

"_Shabon Spray!_" She called, and the usual mist appeared. Beyond that, however, the monster totally froze up. She could feel it, in her attunement with her element. Totally immobilized, there was no way for it to continue the attack. There was nothing for even a still-nervous, and learning, Sailor Moon to worry about.

"Forcing drinks on underage girls is nothing short of heinous, and a trick normally reserved for the lowest of the low, creatures I would not want to associate with by giving them the title of human! This is unforgiveable! Now, Sailor Moon!" Aaaand there he was, late enough that they didn't even need his roses. Mercury didn't mind so much. The guy seemed to be doing his best, stuck with that attack like he was. Mercury understood the frustration, being in the same boat herself, and as long as they were working towards a common goal, she'd let him do his thing.

Especially if his 'thing' included convincing Sailor Moon to attack the monster. It always involved much more waterworks when anyone else did it. The tiara was thrown, the youma disintegrated, and a very irate Jadeite showed up. It was so routine Mercury had almost gotten the timing down to a science.

"You got lucky this time, but I'll get you, Sailor brats!" Came his normal threat, and Mercury rolled her eyes. _Yeah, us and our little kitty, too!_ Normally she wasn't this passé about danger, but something in her was rebelling today.

"If you don't _want_ us to win, I'd suggest you not give us something to fight that's particularly vulnerable to our attacks! A margarita is a drink with glace normally!"

_Noun: Ice placed in a drink to cool it._


	188. Hobson Jobson

_Hobson-jobson_

Hotaru threw her papers in the air with a growl. Michiru smiled understandingly at her adoptive daughter. Today's lesson was Latin, and Haruka had been more than happy to leave that dead language to her lover's teaching ability. However, Ami had requested that both of them learn the language, so they could help her go through the recently-unlocked archives of the Silver Millennium. She had Rei, Luna, and Artemis helping her already, but she wanted extra eyes with different minds to help her with this project. There was too much in there about their origins, their powers, and their duties to risk a mistranslation.

Hence the Latin lessons Hotaru was currently despairing over.

"You know," The girl growled, glaring at her worksheets, "We wouldn't all _need_ to learn this language if those foolish Greeks hadn't made such a hobson-jobson of the language when they learned it! We wouldn't need to rely on imprecise translations at all if they could just have gotten it right! They didn't even get the name right! How do you get 'Latin' from 'Lunarian', after all?"

Michiru sighed inaudibly. It was going to be a long day.

_Noun: __the alteration of a word borrowed from a foreign language to accord more closely with the linguistic patterns of the borrowing language._


	189. Homologate

_Homologate_

"Haruka, when are you going to homologate this scrap piece you insist is a car?" Michiru asked, her normally serene face twisted into a light scowl. Haruka knew MIchiru didn't even really like her normal racing, though she did admirably hiding it, but this new thing from America…

"'_Hit to pass' indeed." She sniffed. "That sounds even more barbaric than I expected when you told me about a new racing style. You'd better not give our daughter any ideas about dangerous 'sports' like this, is all I can say! One of you out there is bad enough!"_

Haruka hadn't taken her too seriously. She'd had the bad luck of bringing it up with her lover after Hotaru had taken a tumble in PE and come home with a light concussion. Nothing too bad, but Michiru had been in full mother-mode at that point.

"It's fine. Registration doesn't have to be in until two weeks before the race." She responded, still under the car. The clutch was slipping, and that wasn't something she wanted to deal with in a race. Better to have it all fixed now, when she still had time to get accustomed to the change.

"That's for races in Japan, love. There's a lot more paperwork to bring your car overseas. They recommend a week here, for our authorities to make sure it's correct, then a week for their authorities, then the two weeks that the race officials themselves want."

That got Haruka's attention. She slid out from under her car and gave Michiru a surprised look. "What?"

"A month, dear. That means your paperwork needs to be in…"

"Today. Shit." She glanced up at the clock on the wall. She still had to fill in two of the forms… "Hey, honey? How late is headquarters open today?" She was hoping it was later. She really was. If it was five, she was sunk.

"Five." Michiru replied serenely. Haruka flipped to her feet and started wiping her hands off on her jeans haphazardly. Her partner continued on as if she hadn't noticed the sudden movement. "Though I don't know why you expect me to know that. I wouldn't have, if I hadn't dropped by there on my way home from the studio today." She walked up to the wild-eyed blonde and kissed her delicately on the cheek before wiping her mouth off, obviously an unspoken comment on the state of her partner's face. Haruka just stared at her, not sure what she was saying.

Michiru sighed. "I dropped you papers off for you. I saw them on the table this morning and grabbed them on the way out. I figured you hadn't checked out the international times, and you were already at the track." She saw the look on her love's face and continued. "I know how much you love to race, and I would never try to keep you from it, even if I worry. I wouldn't even just not drop off your papers for you. I love you, and you love racing, so," She shrugged, "I can put up with that. It's not even like racing is the most lethal thing we do." She said with a grimace. "At least this hasn't killed you."

Michiru headed for the house then, content that Haruka would join her after she'd finished with the car. She stopped in the doorway. She'd been the one apologizing today, but there was something in her not willing to leave without the last word. "Yet."

_Verb: __the alteration of a word borrowed from a foreign language to accord more closely with the linguistic patterns of the borrowing language._


	190. Inculcate

_Inculcate_

"This really isn't fair to the other girls." Neo-Queen Serenity said to Sailor Jupiter, her voice decidedly conversational. Jupiter smiled at that. It was her friend's new way of saying _"I haven't a clue what you're up to, but am assuming you have your reasons."_ Those sorts of double meanings were only one of the changes she'd had to get used to in the past millennium.

"It's not supposed to be fair." She replied, and threw the ball right at Chibiusa again. Juno tackled the pink-haired princess to the ground while Vesta grabbed the ball, Pallas readied herself to catch it if it bounced away, and Ceres watched her. The leader of the younger Senshi hadn't even twitched as the ball flew past her, used as she was to Jupiter's habit of tossing another ball right after the first. Only about a quarter of the time did the ball fly anywhere else but her charge, meaning that Chibiusa was well into the lead points-wise.

"Chibiusa doesn't need the help." There was a slight tone to the queen's voice that said she still didn't get it, and wasn't willing to let the subject drop. That didn't matter to Jupiter, though. She wanted her friend to know.

"Yesterday was casual dinner night." It was the night that happened less than once a month, when someone would declare that for dinner that day there were going to be no Senshi, no royals, and no duty. Just friends, eating together and chatting.

"I know. You threw a dumpling at Chibiusa and called her 'Odango', starting a food fight." She was trying her best to be stern, but the warrior could see the slight twitch of her lips that betrayed her actual thoughts. It did help that she'd seen the glee with which the stiflingly-mature blonde had pegged both her husband and daughter with pies the night before.

Her auburn ponytail bounced around her shoulders as she shrugged, tossing two more balls in quick succession at the young woman who looked so much like the one next to her. "Did the dumpling hit her?"

That question dissolved the Serenity façade, and for a moment it was just an innocently bewildered Usagi who stood there in broad daylight. "Why, no. I don't think it did. That's odd. You have such good aim, after all…" She trailed off, looking at her friend for an explanation.

"I will inculcate them yet into protecting without thought. You just watch." She knew her smirk was obvious, but she didn't care. She'd startled a starry-eyed 'you're so cool' look from her friend. _Today_, she thought, throwing the latest ball right at Ceres' head (the girl caught it, but she'd almost dropped it first), _is a good day._

_Verb: __to teach and impress by frequent repetition or instruction._


	191. Metaphrasic

_Metaphrasic_

"So what, exactly, are we looking for here?" Rei asked, holding out her stack of papers before her and looking at them as if they had just promised to show her a new trick.

"Hints, powers, foes, allies, anything useful like that. It's in there, I've found some of it. It just takes a lot of digging to get to it." Ami looked frazzled, desperately searching for something, anything, to make her friends' ascension to the throne easier.

"Why does it take so much digging?" Rei asked, curious despite herself.

"The unavoidable metaphrasic result of having history turned into oral tradition turned into poetry and then turned back to a story. Like when they talk about Venus betraying her husband, with Mars, Mercury, some humans, and few magical creatures…. That's not actually how it happened. There never was a husband _to_ cuckold.

"Venusians had a matriarchal society that revolved around large family groups. The male influences on a child were their uncles and cousins, not their father. There was a scandal years previous to our incarnations' time, involving the 'tamed' Venusians, and the fact that their Crown Princess was completely incapable of effectively wielding magic, or indeed even holding her transformation. They had always been the race that gave the most to our armies, and as such the best and the brightest were often, regrettably, killed off. With the introduction of the smaller nuclear family and the lack of variation in the gene pool, they deteriorated rapidly. The Lunarian Queen of the time made some rather scathing remarks concerning the family troubles of the groups that were trying to 'civilize' the Venusians, and declared them free to breed as the would, by royal decree. They are a very passionate people, so traditional marriages rarely worked out anyway."

"Facinating, I'm sure, but it doesn't really have anything to do with our current situation." Rei pointed out dryly. "Minako is the only Venusian left, and her duty is to Serenity."

"True, but by tracking down the supposed mythical creatures Venus 'cheated' with, I was able to locate and initiate contact with three other planets that would be tentatively open to being allies again. More are considering it."

"Oh." She looked down at the books all over the table before her. "I'm not going to get out of this, am I?"

"Nope." Ami replied, smirking at her friend. "On the other hand, you also don't have to hear about Minako's newest 'first love'…"

Raven eyebrows raised to a level almost surprising, for an owner normally so unruffled. "Hand me that reference book. No time like the present to get started."

_Adjective: having the quality of a literary work that has been translated or changed from one form to another, as prose into verse._

_And I stole the idea of how the Venusians act from the Vrellish in the Okal Rel saga. They remind me of one another. Venusians are just a little more organized._


	192. Nebulize

_Nebulize_

"Pluto!" The guardian of time looked over her shoulder leisurely, having expected this visit from her rather irate monarch.

"Yes, my Queen?" She asked the woman she still thought of as a girl. Even though her daughter was already a Senshi, of fighting danger, she just couldn't think of the blonde as Neo-Queen Serenity. It might have something to do with being able to see all times, but she eternally considered her Tsukino Usagi, an adorable and charming young girl.

"Don't you pull that crap with me!" Usagi stomped her foot in emphasis. Oh, that's right. She considered her a girl because Pluto was one of the people that could always make her act like a slightly spoiled child. "You know what you did!"

"I am unaware of any troubles with my duties. The one you assigned to learn from me is doing admirably. Nothing has come through the doors. I even took back Small Lady's time key, so she couldn't continue to cheat on her history exams. Perhaps if you would care to be more specific?"

Usagi's face relaxed from its scowl into her normal charming smile. It wasn't even the one she showed the courts, but the one mothers everywhere would recognize as belonging to discussions of the troublemaking tendencies of children. "I do appreciate that. She was causing you an awful lot of extra work, going back and quizzing people in different history periods. I can't believe she managed to get herself locked up in the French Revolution. What she was doing there, I'll never know. She doesn't even _speak_ French!"

"Perhaps she thought Latin was close enough? It is another romantic language, after all…"

"Maybe." She allowed, still mulling over her daughter's foolishness. "I don't suppose you know what she was thinking?" Her voice was hopeful, but Pluto couldn't resist the chance to nettle the girl regardless. Chibiusa would be fine. She had her mother's charisma and her father's intelligence.

"The secrets of the human heart are hidden, even from the gaze of time itself. If…"

"_That's exactly the problem!_" Usagi hissed, looking for a moment very similar to an irate, feline Luna. Pluto just raised one eyebrow, knowing her composure would enrage the other even more.

It worked. "That _thing_ you do, when you're so high and mighty, and you talk like that, and you make vague predictions, and you nebulize even what you want for breakfast in the morning, and, and… _You taught Diana to do the same thing, you fiend!_"

It took a lot of effort, but Pluto managed to keep her smirk to a mere twitch of her lips. Powerful, solitary guardian of a great secret she may be, but she still needed entertainment as much as the next person.

_Verb: __to become vague, or indistinct._


	193. Odoriferous

_Odiforous_

Minako glared at her closest friends, currently thoroughly ensconced in giving them all painful and humiliating mental deaths. Something at least as embarrassing as what she was currently going through.

Rei smirked as she leaned back carefully, trying to escape Minako's attention while doing so. "That's quite the scent." She commented, and almost laughed at the even harsher glare sent her direction.

Usagi tilted her head to the side, attempting to look innocent despite the demonic glint in her eyes. "Maybe you should use Rei's shower…" She offered, carefully not saying what she was so clearly implying.

"I don't think I've ever come across quite that mix of smells before." Makoto wasn't as polite as the others, but her comment was at least accompanied by an expression of amazement, instead of disgust.

Ami didn't even bother to comment first, just doused the dishevelled blonde with a deluge of cool water. Minako spluttered and swiped at her, but the non-vision-impaired genius easily avoided it. She then added insult to injury when she opened her mouth. "To what do we owe this odoriferous occasion? What happened?"

Minako plopped herself down untidily on Rei's stairs, unconcerned that the girl would have to clean them again later, and started picking bits of … stuff, out of her hair. "There was a police chase on main. The bad guy managed to slam himself into a garbage truck hard enough to tip it. Guess who was standing close by?" She could see sympathy warring with the humour on the other girls' faces, and gave in with a sigh. "Go ahead and laugh. I would, if it had happened to anyone else." She offered.

Apparently that was the magic phrase, as, instead of bursting into raucous laughter like she'd expected, the other girls quickly sprung to her aid. Usagi and Makoto began helping her pick things out of her hair while Ami kept up a steady stream of not-cold water and started wrestling with her wet clothes. Rei disappeared for some old towels. She could still see the amusement in their faces, but she found it didn't bother her any more. They were willing to help her out even in such situations as this. It was worth being laughed at.

_Adjective: yielding or diffusing an odour._

_There are worse things_, she thought, _than friends who are willing to help you pick garbage out of your hair._


	194. Paralipsis

_Paralipsis_

Luna rubbed her forehead, an action that would have been running her hand through her hair if she was in human form. They were destined leaders, terrifyingly good warriors, true friends, and (usually) acceptably diligent workers. However, it was taking a _lot_ of effort to turn the Senshi into statesmen.

"I don't _care_ how stupid he was!" She hissed at an unrepentant Minako. "_All of _them are important, and your tendency to overuse paralipsis in your summaries needs to stop! You _can't_ dismiss someone's petition as 'nonsense, stupididty, and other such useless things'!"

_Noun:__ the suggestion, by deliberately brief treatment of a topic, that much of significance is being omitted, as in "not to mention other faults."_


	195. Paregon

_Parergon_

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Mercury emphatically told her monarchs. "Absolutely not! I haven't _time_ for that! I'm already head of internal security, tactical aide to our police and armed forces, international head of education, and in collaboration with the architects and builders of the new palace. I don't care _how_ impressive or polite I am, I am _not_ joining the diplomatic corps!"

"But _Mercury_…" Neo-Queen Serenity whined, obviously going to use her famous pout on her recalcitrant friend, "We _need_…" She paused then, distracted by the hand her husband put on her arm. She looked at him quizzically.

"It's alright, Usako." He said softly, Mercury even having to strain to hear the endearment. He raised his voice to a normal level then, obviously intending his next words as much for the overworked genius as for his wife. "We'll just get Mars or Venus to pick up this parergon."

Serenity stared at him, aghast. "Mamo-chan," She hissed, obviously not impressed, "The point of the diplomatic corps is to _not_ cause international incidents!"

Mercury and Endymion shared a conspiratorial grin. "It's alright." He assured her, smiling still. "They're going to have to get used to us eventually. It may as well be now."

The young queen threw her hands in the air in a gesture of defeat. "Fine! But _you_ get to deal with the mess those two will leave behind! I _refuse_ to be held responsible for various diplomats being tied up, lit on fire, or made to cry!"

Mercury blanched, and considered withdrawing her refusal at the likelihood that at least one of Serenity's dire predictions would come true. Then she shrugged philosophically. She really was too busy. Besides, "Count your blessings. He didn't recommend Jupiter and Uranus for the posts, after all."

_Noun: Work undertaken in addition to one's principle work._


	196. Personalia

_Personalia_

"Tell me again why my daughter is sent out to fight with only the Golden Crystal." Neo-Queen Serenity looked pensively out the North window, staring sightlessly in the direction her child had left, off to settle another disturbance.

Her Senshi were gathered around her, offering their silent support. They knew how difficult it was for their friend to send her daughter off to fight, having gained a greater understanding of just how dangerous and horrible it all had been upon maturing. Endymion was there too, though his face had contorted oddly at his wife's comment. Jupiter and Venus, still not having the reserve of their counterparts, quivered with the strain of not laughing. It was obvious he resented the use of 'only' in his wife's sentence.

It was Mercury who spoke up, and there was the faintest hint in her voice that said she found the king's face just as entertaining as her friends. "The Golden Crystal is a conduit, aiding in the transference of power from Elysion. The Silver Crystal is an amplifier, focusing and empowering energy fed into it. She has mastery enough of her own magic that her own heart crystal is sufficient for anything she needs."

"Even the Golden Crystal is more of a fall-back." Venus added, glancing apologetically at Endymion. "She shouldn't have to use it. She can't just rely on the power of the crystals, you know. She has to be fully confident in herself and her natural abilities, or either of them would only be a crutch. Taking both on something like this would be foolish, useless, and actually harmful to her development, both as a person and as a soldier."

"The tendency of the sailor crystals to act as depositories for their former masters is also troubling." Jupiter commented. She had been the most deeply troubled by this facet of their powers, liking herself to be in control of herself above all. "Nothing against your forbearers, but you have a much stronger personality than any of the previous owners. Probably because you actually _became _Sailor Moon, instead of being totally protected. Still, Chibiusa can't take the risk of being assaulted by your personalia, as stored in the crystal, in the middle of an important battle. It's a tactically better choice too."

"Not to mention," Mars said, laying a hand on her best friend's shoulder, "That you need the Silver Crystal much more than _he_," She indicated Endymion with a tilt of her head, which he returned, "Needs the Golden one. He can directly channel the earth's power, he doesn't _have _to funnel it through Elysion for purification and concentration any more. If something happens here while she's gone, the Golden Crystal wouldn't be as much help as the Silver."

The blonde sighed and rested her head on the window, willing to let herself be soothed by the assurances of her friends. Her husband nuzzled the top of her head, letting his lips be occupied kissing her hair. He knew what none of them said, what his Usako was willing to deliberately forget. His crystal was a tool, to be used when necessary. Hers was melded with her heart crystal, star seed, and soul. It was that, as much as the attack, which had led to her being comatose only ten short years previously. If it hadn't been for her close ties with the Senshi and himself, she wouldn't have been comatose. Chibiusa's childishly curious and accidental theft of the crystal could have killed the girl's mother.

Powered by her own brave heart and aided by both the Golden Crystal, Helios, and her own devoted guardians, their daughter should be able to face just about anything. Adding the Silver Crystal to it would give her enough power to make even Saturn and Pluto's special guardianships unnecessary. He hoped it never came to needing that, though. Endymion knew that, should it occur, his child would be gifted with the Silver Crystal without hesitance. He was, however, still Mamoru in his heart, and would never accept that anything would be a dire enough situation to sacrifice his Usako. Serenity would consider it a necessary sacrifice, but it flew in the face of everything Tsukino Usagi, the original Sailor Moon, had fought for.

He hugged his wife tighter, and renewed the promise he'd made to himself, the one he saw reflected in the eyes of four others who shared the painful knowledge, yet never spoke of it. _It will never come to that. I won't _let_ it!_

_Noun: __Personal details such as biographical data, reminiscences, or the like._


	197. Proclitic

_Proclitic_

"Y'all wanna go see a movie?" Juno drawled, looking up at her sisters and friends from where she was sprawled on the floor next to her youngest sister, who was complaining, once again, about how bored she was. The difference was that this time they all agreed with energetic redhead.

"Nah." Chibiusa replied, shaking her pink head emphatically, earning her a swat from Pallas, who was braiding her long hair out of her own boredom. "There's nothing good on. I was _not_ impressed with the selection this week."

"Didja see the trailer for the latest 'romantic comedy'?" Vesta chimed in, snorting to show her opinion on the movie. "Looked even dumber than normal, if possible."

"Romantic comedies are not dumb." Ceres chided, not looking up from painting her toenails. Her cultured voice contrasted with the overly casual drawl of her younger sisters, catching the attention of the sixth young woman in the room.

"I've been wondering why you two have chosen to speak like that." Hotaru piped in, her intense violet eyes betraying the depth of her intrest, though the implied question was casual.

The reaction to it, however, was very telling of the attitudes of those involved. Ceres sighed and managed to look prim and put upon, Chibiusa giggled, and Juno and Vesta just smirked. It was Pallas that actually answered the question, with a flawless impersonation on Mercury's quiet voice. "'There is nothing intelligent or cultured about overly-proclitic accents.'"

"It makes her twitch." Chibiusa added, looking entertained even by the thought of it. "She can't _stand_ that accent. They're hoping it'll get us out of lessons."

"Does it work?" Hotaru asked, intrigued. It didn't _sound_ like something Mercury would fall for…

The smirking youngsters were cut off before they could offer their opinion, obviously an affirmative, by a rather irritated and spacy voice. "Pallas has discovered several new muscle groups over the past week. Mercury twitches, but Venus and Jupiter just give more push-ups."

She tried, she really did, but Hotaru just could not contain her laughter at the matching looks of outraged horror on Juno and Vesta's faces when they realized just how their scheme had backfired.

_Adjective: __(of a word) closely connected in pronunciation with the following word and not having an independent accent._


	198. Bellwether

_Bellwether_

"What was the word on the street?" Endymion asked, not even looking up from his correspondence. His youngest, and sneakiest, Shittenou had just returned from an information gathering mission. Down in the docks, this time around.

Kunzite didn't approve of Zoicyte being the one to gather information from the dregs of society, but there was no other choice. Both the silver-haired leader and the brunette second in command weren't unobtrusive enough, and Jadeite was to high strung. Endymion doing it himself was, of course, completely out of the question.

"Nothing, my lord." The young blonde answered arily, using his leige's formal title. It was something that the prince despised when he was with only his four friends. Part of it was that he didn't believe they were any less than him, but the majority of it was that he didn't consider himself as needing guardians. Kunzite knew that he wasn't as grown up as he thought, he was only eighteen, after all, but there was no convincing him of that.

Endymion nodded his strategist through to his inner rooms, where the others were relaxing. He'd skipped out on writing replies to all the messages sent to him the night previously to visit the Moon Kingdom, so had twice as much to do this night.

Zoicyte nodded and continued in, shedding his scruffy-looking clothing as he went. He was glad it was winter. He was far too much of a sensualist to enjoy wearing rough clothing next to his skin, but it was worth it to be able to escape to a good scumdive every now and then.

The door was barely closed before he noted that his friends had all stopped what they were doing, and were eyeing him curiously.

"That wasn't a 'nothing' nothing. That was a 'something' nothing." Nephrite said, showing his customary bluntness.

"What trouble did you stir up this time?" The group's other golden blonde asked, though his eyes didn't have the same cheer as his voice. All of them had already been on edge, even before he'd gone. Endymion didn't notice, though. It was one good thing about him seeing the Lunarian princess. He was totally oblivious to everything else.

Zoicyte's eyes found his leaders, and he didn't speak until after the man had nodded. All of his previous lightheartedness was gone when he spoke. "Nothing solid, just some disturbing trends. What I heard… It's not good. The demon cult is growing, and there's still no sign of their leader."

The other three hissed lightly, knowing the seriousness of the situation, but were unwilling to bring it to the attention of their liege-lord. Endymion was their first concern, and he was happy. Really, truly happy. They wouldn't disturb that, not over some cultists. Not when it looked like there would finally, _finally_ be peace between Terra and her closest neighbour.

"Did you hear _anything_ about the leader?" Jadeite asked, frustrated. He _despised _people that fought from the shadows like that.

"Just enough to confirm them a bellwether in both senses of the word. The increased fighting in the northlands, as well as the pirates in the east, show that the trend of wilful lawlessness and destruction is spreading. It's not just the demon cult we have to watch out for, it's all of the copycat separatists as well."

There was silence as his brothers-in-arms absorbed that. It was Kunzite, previously silent, that finally spoke. "We will not tell Endymion of this. Not yet. With demons…" He paused for a moment, trying to find the words to describe what he knew. "It's too likely to become a righteous crusade against all even suspected of that sort of thing. Like a witch hunt. We need Endymion to stay out of it, and keep our heads above the waters with him. They're murky depths, this sort of fight. Having demons involved only means they'll be stirred up even more."

The others nodded. There was nothing else for it, in this case. Endymion must not be told. Not yet.

_Noun: __A leader of a movement or activity; also, a leading indicator of future trends_


	199. Darkle

_Darkle_

Cold, garnet orbs gazed impassively at the scene taking place just beyond her current reality.

_To darkle that which was one time bright,_

_They have come… and will snuff out our light._

Had anyone seen it, they might have noticed the anger in her body lines as she watched the young (too young, barely more than a child himself) prince try to defend his love (still so much to see, poor girl. So much she never got to do…). But there was no one. There was always no one.

_With armies and traitors and weapons galore,_

_On they do come, cutting us to the core._

There was no witness to her sorrow when she saw her Queen, her best friend, fall before her own eyes (_not true_, she reminds herself_, not my own eyes, nor can my hands comfort or my voice ease_)

_But hope will soon come back, to shine anew,_

_To pour from the heart of a soldier…_

"Ugh, what rhymes with 'anew'? Seriously, I'm not finding this therapeutic _at all_, those quacks!" Perhaps it was a good thing Pluto never had any visitors. She had, after all, had a long time to learn a startling number of words unfit for company.

_Verb: __to grow dark, gloomy, etc._


	200. Dilatory

_Dilatory_

News spread as quickly in the Lunarian palace as it did in every other small community. People whispered so quickly, hiding behind dusting, or cooking, or serving, that news often passed quicker through the servants than through actual messengers.

A good thing, as it turned out. After all, no _official_ word would have been sent to Queen Serenity to warn her of the startling development of the shy Mercurian princess _yelling_…

"… A disgrace to the entire idea of Senshi with your dilatory, troublemaking ways!" It was a voice that she'd never heard speak so that greeted the Queen as she turned into the section of the palace where the fight was taking place. The next voice, again raised in childish petulance, was one she was more familiar with.

"Better than a shy little mouse that wouldn't even have the ability _to_ protect her charge, if she did ever get up the nerve to try! You call those bubbles a _weapon_?" Yes, Queen Serenity was unfortunately much acquainted with the lungs of her young Venusian ward.

"Not everyone thinks being the loudest means they're right! It didn't help you in math earlier, did it?" The girl didn't pause for an answer, as unusual for her as the raised voice was. "_You_ cause more trouble than that little laser beam can handle. Just last week Sailor Eris had to intervene to prevent the Mauans from pulling out of the Alliance! I can't _believe_ that even _you_ could be so foolish as to say something like _that_ to Ambassador Artemis!"

"It _is_ a girl's name!"

"According to the _Terrans_! What makes you think you have any right to tell him what's appropriate for the Moon! You don't even know _yourself_! You just want to be worshipped by those barbarians and waited on by all the men at court! You're a childish, bratty, _useless_ little troublemaker, and…"

"Arrrrgh!" She rounded the corner just as that childish shriek of rage cut through the area, and was horrified to see the young blonde hurl herself bodily onto the slighter blue-haired girl, wielding what appeared to be a knife.

The smaller girl blocked and disarmed the weapon easily (she paid as much attention to her martial classes as she did the academic ones), but missed the second strike and was winded by a hit to her ribs. It was at this moment, Venus pulling back her hand to strike again and Mercury gasping for breath, when her magic wrapped them both in a cocoon of bands that felt like steel, though they looked like only filmy pink ribbons to a casual observer.

She didn't even say anything. She didn't have to. Sailor Haumea was right there, taking in the appearance of the girls with furious, flame coloured eyes. Her voice was terse as she stared the children down, until they bowed their twelve-year-old heads. "It seems both of you have plenty of extra energy. Good. I don't have a sparring partner at the moment. Both of you, suit up and be in the arena. You have five minutes."

_Adjective: __Tending to put off what ought to be done at once; given to procrastination._


	201. Chichi

_Chichi_

Venus was wrestling with herself, she really was. She was in training to be a Senshi, one of the most respected people in the galaxy. A pillar of hope, competence, and justice. Protectors of the innocent and defenders of the weak. The bane of all that is wrong in the universe.

Unfortunately for her, ingratitude was wrong. It was, though it pained her to admit it, Mercury's plan that had allowed them to impress Sailor Haumea enough for her to end their training session after they'd been run into exhaustion and back. She had supplied the firepower, and her improvisation had saved the plan when Io had caught on, but it was still Mercury's plan. The girl had made herself useful in the execution of it as well, far more useful than Venus had thought she'd be. The fog was actually a pretty great distraction and defensive weapon.

Still, she didn't _want_ to thank Mercury for her part in the endeavour. She was still mad about the comments the girl had made that had lead to her pulling one of her new throwing knives on the bright girl. The only reason she'd had them on her was that she'd bumped into Mercury on the way back from her unofficial lessons with them. Then the other girl had berated her for 'playing with your toys when you should be studying'.

That had been wrong too, and she needed to apologize, even if she didn't thank her. Her mind made up, Venus marched to Mercury's room, knocking and slipping in without waiting for an answer. Technically it was after when they should have retired, mornings coming far too soon for the blonde on a good day, but she had a feeling Mercury would still be up as well.

She was, and was working on something at her desk. Venus supressed her instinctual sneer at the goody-goody's actions, and instead opened her mouth.

"Thank you." Then left it open as Mercury cut her off. The girl looked up from her papers then, and her cheeks were slightly flushed, though her expression was cold.

Venus shook her head, uncomprehending. "Thank _you_. You came up with a really good plan, and… Well, I wanted to thank you for that. As well, I… Uh, well, I need to apologize. I shouldn't have attacked you like that. That was wrong of me." She could tell by the heat that she had an absolute furious blush on her face, but prided herself on the strength of her voice. It didn't waver, even when the words didn't come easily.

Mercury sighed and sat back. "I should apologize too. It's just… last month it was fencing show moves, this month it's throwing knives… I just don't think it's appropriate for a Senshi to cater to the chichi hobbies of the soldiers."

Venus raised an eyebrow as her lips quirked. Before the girl could blink, there was a knife in the wall behind her left ear, and one delicate blue curl floating down to rest on the desk. She was quiet as Venus walked over and grabbed the knife, inspecting it before sliding it back into the hidden sheath in her sleeve. "Magic takes time to power up and focus. Plus, it leaves an energy signature. Everyone in the barracks has a knife just like this right now, and my other one I got off the black market from Earth. Neither have ever been to Venus, nor is there any reason whatsoever to link my homeworld, or me, to them. They're too plain for anyone to think they could be mine. You may not have noticed, but I did _not_ learn those useless fencing tricks."

Mercury's eyes, previously wide, narrowed thoughtfully. Finally, she smirked. One hand lay gently on the sheets she'd been working on. "I was figuring out ways that the four of us, in groups of two or more, could defeat one of Queen Serenity's Senshi. Having the plans already made will mean we don't have to go through four hours of defeat first. You teach me to throw knives, and get me a set matching yours, and we'll trade."

Now it was Venus' turn to stare at the other girl wide eyed, before a huge grin split her face, and a conspiratorial gleam came into in her eyes. She held out her hand. "Deal, partner."

Mercury blushed, but took the offered hand. "Deal. Partner."

_Adjective: __Affectedly trendy_


	202. Fey

_Fey_

If wasn't supposed to have been like this. It was a lark, a dare. To sneak the third most important person in the Kingdom's hierarchy into the palace of their old foes, people they weren't quite at war with… how could three seventeen year olds have resisted that? They'd planned on only telling Kunzite and Nephrite when they got back. They'd almost left Zoicyte behind, since he was only sixteen at the time. However, they'd need his brains, and so Endymion and Jadeite had pulled him in on their scheme.

In, out. Nothing fancy. No souvenirs, no talking to people, nothing. No proof. No one but them was ever supposed to know, excepting when they bragged to Kunzite and Nephrite. This was _not_ in the plan.

"So, are you guys lost or hiding?" The tiny, silver-haired girl asked, turning her blue eyes up to look into Endymion's. Jadeite couldn't decide if he wanted to laugh or curse. He could see the look on his friend's face, and it wasn't good. Falling for a Lunarian sylph was not in the plan. Zoicyte seemed to agree, though his face was rather more panicked than Jadeite thought the situation warranted.

"Hiding, actually." Endymion said, and Zoicyte heaved a silent sigh or relief. Maybe they could deal with the infatuation later, and convince the girl to never speak of them. He knew he was the only one who understood just how bad things were for them at the moment, especially since the girl (almost sixteen, he knew, but looking younger with her innocent face) looked as twitterpated as his friend.

"Oh, good!" The girl replied, still whispering. "Me too! I was planning to sneak down to the kitchen for some brownies, actually. A friend of mine made some this morning, but she'd only let me have a few. I had an absolute _craving_ for some this evening, and I know they wouldn't let me. So I snuck out. Follow me! You can have some brownies too!" She grabbed Endymion's hand, both of hers being needed to cover his, and tugged him after her. He followed willingly, entranced by her fey appearance, cheerful personality, and mischievous smile.

Zoicyte and Jadeite looked at each other and rolled their eyes before following. Not only could they not abandon or overrule their prince, but they found themselves wanting to spend time with the spritely little lady as well. She was a charmer, that was for sure.

Zoicyte was a little more hesitant about it being a good idea, but was helpless against her beseeching look. For the first time in his life, he came to understand how the Lunarian empire might keep a hold on all the far flung planets they ruled.

He had little time to think, though, as they ran through the corridors. The girl knew all the servant's passages and secret tunnels, leading them deeper and deeper into the maze. "I know it's fast," She whispered to them as they checked around a corner to see if it was safe, "But the sooner I get down there, the more brownies I can have." The girl didn't even look winded, yet even Endymion, with the longest legs in the group, was breathing heavier than normal.

It was that, perhaps, wonder over how she could be so _fast_, that meant Endymion was the first through the doors into the kitchen. It wasn't the Crown Prince's place, to go first. Yet the young woman tugged his hand, and neither of the guardians thought to push past him. Not until they saw the red whirlwind coming at their liege.

Jadeite was on Endymion's left, and so was the one to block the right-handed attack. However, all of their training came to naught in the face of the speed and fury of the attack. All he could do, all he did, was throw his body between the threat and his most important person. He dropped like a sack of potatoes, and suddenly it seemed everyone else could move again.

Zoicyte dodged around his prince, grabbing a pan off the rack next to the door and cursing that they'd left all of armour back on Earth. He had a few knives squirrelled away on his body, but if he was correct about who the red fury was, he really didn't want to hurt her. If she was threatening his lord, though, Zoicyte would have no choice.

The girl had reached out her hands to the attacker, obviously pleading for the violence to stop. Endymion had pulled her close, sheltering her with his body from any who might harm her.

The pan was twisted out of his grip, but he did manage to unbalance his attacker enough for her to momentarily retreat. She had violet eyes, long black hair, and Zoicyte cursed his luck at that moment. There was no way Endymion would let go of the girl, and there was no way the other young woman would quit attacking until she was between the silver-haired one and anyone else. Even in his mind, he kept from giving the two women their titles. He wanted, a little desperately, to pretend this wasn't happening, that they weren't who he thought they were. Knew they were.

The girl flew at him again, obviously going to attack again, when a small blue shape hurled itself between the red-clad one and her target. "Hold!" Called a sweet voice, a thread of steel underlying the melodic tone. The violent one paused, and at just that moment the ponytailed one broke free from Endymion's grip and threw herself into the arms that opened for her automatically, pleading with words none of the others paid any attention to for the fight to stop. Violet eyes stared into ones he just _knew _were blue, and his gut clenched.

_This was _not_ how things were supposed to go!_

_Adjective: _ _Possessing or displaying a strange and otherworldly aspect or quality; magical or fairylike; elfin._


	203. Irrefragable

_Irrefragable_

"You do know that you've presented us with quite a problem, don't you?" The blue-haired girl said conversationally, after getting milk and brownies set out for the three men facing her and her friends. There had already been three places set, courtesy of the violet-eye one. The one that was still attempting to stare them down.

Endymion was having none of that, however. He was glaring right back at the girl who refused to release her hold on the little sprite who started all of this. Even though the younger one promised that none of them meant harm (true) and it was fine for them to be there (not true at all), she was still kept far away from the men at the table.

Zoicyte eyed the girl across from him and decided to go for broke. He was sure he didn't have anything to hide, the same way she didn't. "Do you always lead with irrefragable rhetorical questions in conversation, Lady Mercury?"

She shot him a quick smile, and he felt his heart skip a beat. _We are so sunk_. He thought, watching Jadeite eye the fiery girl with a curiously happy expression on his face for someone who had just been knocked out. _So sunk. We haven't a hope of even life rafts, we're that far under._

"Why, no, Lord Zoicyte. I do not. Generally, I lead with irrefragable _statements_, but it's generally a good idea to at least give royalty the option of answering for themselves." The confused expression on the face of the young woman Zoicyte knew was known as Sailor Mars proved what he had suspected, that only himself and Sailor Mercury had any idea of how troublesome the situation actually was. She seemed to have yet to figure out that the attraction that would cause so much trouble in the royals seemed to have spread to the guardians. That was information he'd keep to himself for a bit.

"Wait, who? I know all the ambassadors, visitors, and nobility in this place, and I've never heard of anyone with that name." That was Mars again, having let go of the other girl in her confusion. She didn't appear to notice as the girl slid away, closer to Endymion. Her escape was short lived, however, as Lady Mercury continued, shocking them all.

"Princess Serenity," She ignored the hiss of her companion as she gave her charge's name and title, "Sailor Mars, may I present to you Prince Endymion of Terra and two of his Shittenou, a position similar in form to that of ourselves, lords Zoicyte and Jadeite."

_Adjective: Impossible to refute_


	204. Postprandial

_Postprandial_

"So now what?" Jadeite asks softly, eyeing the two ridiculously cutesy royals chatting delightedly with each other over the remains of the brownies they had demolished. Both the blonde males had been startled at discover that it was another of the Lunarian princess' guardians who had made them. Zoicyte had felt guilty for a moment that Nephrite hadn't been there with them. No one savoured a big meal the way the brunette did.

Pulling his attention forcibly back to the matter at hand and not the wandering paths it had taken, Zoicyte shook his head. Head strategist and head of intelligence he may be, but that didn't mean he knew what to do when the two young heirs of almost-warring states met over brownies and decided they were in love.

Even he had to take a moment to re-group when things went this wrong. What he wanted, right now, was to get back to Earth, dragging his change by the ear if necessary, and discuss the situation with the others. Together, after some sleep, he was sure they could come up with a plan.

"Well, first," He started, in an undertone, before being cut off by a melodic, feminine voice.

"First," Mercury informed him, smiling, "You need to realize that this doesn't involve just you. Serenity is just as likely to do something silly from youth and infatuation as Endymion."

He nodded in understanding, though his face showed his chagrin at having been caught missing something as important as that. Mercury patted his arm consolingly.

"The second thing is getting them back where they should be. That means Serenity upstairs in her own room and Endymion back down on a planet that wouldn't love to keep him as a way of forcing his parents to see things our way." Her eyes were hard as she said that, and the smile she tried to soften the blunt statement with was brittle. "I love my kingdom dearly, but not all the people running it are benign, or even honourable. Our Queen is powerful, but there's only so much even she can do if such an influential bargaining piece walks into our hands."

"Understood." Jadeite told her, unusually solemn himself.

"I think the best way to accomplish that would be to appeal to each of them that the other would be in either physical danger, or have their reputation shredded if they were to linger. That should get them moving." Zoicyte added.

Mars, who had sidled up unnoticed while they were talking, nodded decisively. "I'll start working on Serenity, then. The sooner this is done, the better. We'll have a plan beforehand, next time." She hesitated for a moment then, clearly torn, before addressing Jadeite specifically. "Sorry about earlier."

He gave her a courtly bow in return, his usual carefree smile back in place. "Think nothing of it, milady. In your situation, I'd have done the same."

Zoicyte and Mercury rolled their eyes in tandem and Jadeite's foolishness, but Mars, surprisingly enough, blushed.

The ponytailed youth sighed, recognizing what that meant. It wasn't going to be _just_ Endymion sneaking off now.

_Adjective: Happening or done after a meal._

_This one comes after Fey and Irrefragable. I hope you enjoyed it._


	205. Aplomb

_Aplomb_

"Serenity, I'm not sure that was the best way to handle that proposal this afternoon." Mercury began, but was cut off by a wave as her friend tossed her crown onto the sofa and started wriggling out of her dress. There were just the other girls in the room with them, this actually being Minako's room.

"I think I handled myself with the appropriate aplomb and restraint for such a preposterous suggestion. And it's Usagi, Ami. I've been 'Your Majesty'-ed and 'My Queen'-ed enough today. If _you_ start that, I just might scream." The blonde replied, just a little snarkily. She was only just getting the hang of ruling, and it was still prone to putting her in a bad mood.

"Wouldn't want that." Makoto observed quietly from the other side of the room. She was talking to the other two girls, but the object of the comment still heard and still glared.

"True enough. Minako probably doesn't have enough earplugs for all of us." She glared even harder at Rei as Minako and Makoto snickered into their cards.

"Yeah, that's right, laugh at me." Their leader replied cattily. "After all, it's not like I haven't been dealing with self-important Hinos already today."

That sobered the others up, as Rei stiffened. The situation between her and her father was still strained. Every other one of the Senshi had already come clean to family and close friends, but Rei had refused to contact her father. Her grandfather had known for a long time, his priestly abilities allowing him to pierce the fog of magic that protected them.

"What did my father have to say?" The raven-haired girl asked, looking calm to anyone who didn't know her.

"He wanted to propose an alliance." Usagi pronounced bluntly, and Ami sighed.

"A marriage alliance." She explained. "Usagi, however, is already married. The one he proposed involved her younger brother. Shingo… and you. He figured it would work well, as everyone knows who Serenity is now, and he was vaguely aware that you two were friends. He said it would strengthen ties, and be good for both of the youngsters, as they at least knew each other already."

Rei managed to choke on the air she was breathing, while Minako and Makoto collapsed into hysterical laughter.

"Oh, Selene." The blonde gasped, shaking her long loose hair mirthfully. "What did you tell him, Usagi?"

"The truth." Responded the other blonde, crossing her arms and turning her nose up. They could see her usual good humour coming back into her in the lines of her body, though. She couldn't fool them.

Ami sighed again, and elaborated. Again. "She informed him, in front of the entire court, that he couldn't use his daughter as a bargaining chip, both because she's taken an oath as a priestess, and because she's taken another one as a Senshi. 'Your daughter is Sailor Mars, and as such only ourselves or her may initiate any sort of relationship on her behalf, as any discord could be harmful to the safety of the realm' was the comment, I believe. Then she went on to give a rather scathing earful to the court on what would happen to them if she caught _anyone_ putting pressure on or trying to influence _any_ of Tsukino Usagi's family or friends. Getting sent home in disgrace would be the least of it."

"Well, she can certainly do disgrace." Makoto observed, grinning. "What do you think the good Senator's opponents are going to be saying by tomorrow morning?"

"Nothing he doesn't deserve to hear." Usagi announced, her expression almost daring them to disagree. She shivered theatrically then. "He got my hackles up faster than even Demando, and is slimier than Tigerseye trying a pick-up line." She threw herself onto a couch then, completely disregarding her professional dignity. She did make sure it wasn't where she'd tossed the crown, however. "You know, I could get used to this ruling thing." She mused. "After all, crazy aliens aren't the only threats to justice and love."

Ami rolled her eyes before moving the crown and seating herself much more decourously. "It's a court, not a battlefield."

Minako shrugged, still trying to contain her laughter from earlier. "Same thing, only _that_ tiara probably shouldn't be thrown at people."

_Noun: Confidence; coolness._


	206. Bacchanalia

_Bacchanalia_

"Are you sure they should be out here?" Jupiter asked Mercury in an undertone, inclining her head slightly to indicate the six girls currently running laps. As of yet, Saturn was the only one that hadn't hurled, though she was looking pale, a feat for the ivory-skinned girl. All in all, they looked like they'd caught a bad strain of stomach flu.

"Trust me, I'm quite sure. Venus will be down here soon, and I expect you to run them into the ground. I have to go help Mars clean up. I'm just waiting for something first." There was steel in the blue-haired woman's tone, and it made Jupiter wince. The rest of them blew hot and cold with startling frequency, but not Mercury. It took a lot to make her mad, but when you did…

"What did they do? Why do you need to clean up?" The taller woman asked, leaning back on the fence behind her. She was curious now, and didn't even try to hide it with her voice.

"If they _will_ flirt with the guards to convince them to bootleg, then drink all the alcohol obtained without enough mix to re-hydrate, they have to pay the consequences. Also, this will teach them not to mix whisky, tequila, absinthe, wine, and vodka. Oh, and old Jacob's moonshine. I'm not sure what's in that stuff, but I'm surprised it doesn't knock the top off his still." Green eyes had been widening comically for most of the list, but Jupiter didn't actually start laughing until her friend mentioned old Jacob's shine. She'd had some before, and Mercury was totally correct. "Anyway, they made a complete mess of Chibiusa's rooms. Mars, who saw it in the fire, and I, who got the reports about the bootlegging, decided we weren't going to embarrass them publicly with our knowledge. However, they still need to be punished. That's where you and Venus come in."

Jupiter gave her a wicked grin. "I can do that. Can I tease them too?"

Blue eyes twinkled with the mischief they hadn't realized the woman possessed back when they'd first met. "Go right ahead. They deserve worse than they're getting, but they are only adolescents, no matter what positions they hold. It's not like being important, and even sometimes on mission, ever stopped Usagi."

Her auburn ponytail bounced with her firm nod, but her face was full of humour as she remembered her blonde friend getting herself accidentally drunk on more than one occasion. "Good. Oh, and the guardsmen? For later today?"

"Be creative, but only for Tatsuya, Deitrich, and William. Alain and Jacob, plus the other witnesses, all mentioned it to me." She noticed Ceres and Juno had slowed to a walk, so Mercury took her leave of Jupiter with a nod. It didn't stop the Amazonian woman from following her, however, looking forward to what was about to happen.

"What's wrong?" She called out to the two green-faced and panting girls. "Did that little bacchanalia you threw last night tire you out? You're Senshi, girls! If we get invaded today, you're fighting no matter how much you drank the previous evening." She grinned at the 'caught' expressions on the girls' faces (except Saturn, who had known they would get caught and hadn't drunk to excess the same way the others had), then continued. "Memories are usually a little fuzzy the night after a bender, however, so Jupiter here is going to make _sure_ you remember."

The way their faces fell even further almost made the women laugh out loud, but they reined it in with all the practice politics had given them as they walked away from the girls who were once again running as they should be. "They probably didn't eat much breakfast." Jupiter commented in an undertone, content to both coddle and crucify her charges at the same time.

"I know. When Venus finishes with her appointment and gets here, go take over the kitchen. Force the food down their throats if you have to, and make sure they drink. There should be no grass on the path to the bathroom by the time they're done training today."

Jupiter cracked her knuckles and looked at the girls with glee. "This is going to be fun."

_Noun: __A riotous, boisterous, or drunken festivity; a revel._


	207. Elegiac

_Elegiac_

"Play it again." Usagi demanded, and Ami complied. Her hands flew softly over the strings of her harp, coaxing the bittersweet tune, used for millennia in remembrance of Lunarian dead, from the instrument and bringing tears to the eyes of all four in the room. Minako was with them, sitting on the window sill and staring out over the courtyard where she had spent many hours with her best friends, training, laughing, and teaching. Tears flowed down her face unheeded, but none of the others commented on them.

They were all feeling the same way.

"Here, Grandma, use my handkerchief." Said the room's one ray of sunshine, cheery young Princess Ikuko, named for the great-grandmother who only lived to hold the child once. She was holding out a small cloth square, one slightly yellowed with the age that not even the silver crystal could still keep from showing on the women in the room with her. Usagi took it with a smile, though her tears flowed even more freely once she got a look at it.

"What's wrong?" The child asked, her purple-blue eyes concerned.

"Where did you get this?" Her grandmother asked, clearly talking about the square she was using in an attempt to mop up the tears streaming down her face.

"Grandpa gave it to me when my goldfish died last year. He said it was special and magical, and any tears it touched would be instantly wiped away. He said it belonged to the legendary warrior Sailor Moon, the soldier who loved all, and still held her magic. That was you, wasn't it Grandma?" Suddenly the young girl's face fell. "Do you… Do you want it back? It's yours, after all…"

Relief showed clearly on the young girl's face when her beloved grandmother shook her head, her hand still stroking the carefully embroidered name and school on one corner. "No, it has the type of magic that becomes stronger when you pass it along. You keep it, and when the time comes, pass it and its story along to others that need the magic, okay?"

"When I'm big, and never cry, like Mommy, right? I won't need it then." She said it with the surety that only came from being young enough to believe nothing could hurt of scare her mother. Remembering the pink-haired woman weeping with her that morning, when she heard the news, Usagi couldn't help the sadness in her smile as she looked on the main source of smiles and joy in her life now.

"Yes." She said, hugging the girl named after her own much loved and dearly missed mother. "Once you're a brave and strong woman like your mother, Chibiusa, is."

Ami shook her head, fingers stilling on the strings as she let the sad song go. "Rei first, then Makoto, Luna, and Artemis just a month ago, barely two weeks after his love. Mamoru just this morning." She raised her hand to brush her bright blue locks thoughtfully. "We don't look it, but we're old."

Minako looked away from the window then, as if the name of the one she missed more than anything was all it took to pull her out of her musings. "All in the last five months. The rest of us won't last that long from now, I'm sure." She smiled suddenly, and it still looked like the sun coming out when she did that, the beauty that had entranced young men, and not so young ones, for a millennia shining through her grief. "That was our first adventure, back when we were young. When even our greatest defeats only led to greater triumphs as we learned what it was to be the kind of friends we were for years."

"_Are_." Ami corrected firmly before swallowing hard. "We've been to the Galaxy Cauldron, we _know _what comes next. Our star seeds will return to their birthplace, to wait until we will be called on again. And when that happens, we _will_ find each other again. Death has never stopped us before, and it won't tear us apart this time either. Even in the Cauldron, we'll know the others are with us, and feel the love." She turned to Usagi then, who was staring at her in shock. Normally scientific Ami wasn't the one loudly defending things as insubstantial as souls, rebirth, or invisible ties. She believed, as did they all, but she let the others proclaim those beliefs for her.

Ami smiled bracingly as her oldest friend. "Why don't you tell Ikuko there the story behind the handkerchief? I'm sure she'd love to hear about how her grandparents met. Besides, it's a much more appropriate elegiac for your husband than a sad song that he rarely heard himself."

Usagi smiled then at her grandchild, as the child settled in to listen raptly to the tale her grandmother was about to spin. "It all started when I was in the eighth grade, and found a black cat being picked on by some rude boys. The cat had a bandage on her forehead…"

_Adjective: __Relating to the mourning or remembering of the dead._


	208. Gammon

_Gammon_

"How dare you lie about something like this! To attempt to gammon children, disillusioning them about their idols… For the sake of the dreams we cherish even before starting school, I stand against you! I am the pretty, sailor suited soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"Hah, you pitiful fool! You could never hope to stand against the might of the Dark Kingdom…"

"Fire soul!" "Now, Sailor Moon!" Two voices cut the youma off, having had it up to _here_ with the speeches already that evening. Neither minded it quite so much if they got to make one, but it was too late for them to put up with all the others being glory-hogs.

"Moon Tiara Action!" That was all it took, and the monster was dusted. The more academically minded Senshi quickly shooed their comrade away, having no interest in waiting for either Tuxedo Kamen or Jadeite showed up. It was already three in the morning, and exams started the next day.

"I was rather impressed with you today, Sailor Moon." Sailor Mercury commented as she walked with the blonde girl back to the area they lived in. Sailor Mars had already peeled off for the temple a few blocks back. "I didn't know you knew the word gammon. Your vocabulary is improving."

"Yeah, that." Sailor Moon replied, giggling and flicking her hair back. "I looked it up after Tuxedo Kamen used it in that fight last week that you couldn't make it too… Mercury? What are you doing on the ground?"

_Verb: To deceive._


	209. Panache

_Panache_

It was to be the most prestigious event since the founding of Crystal Tokyo. Even then, the world had been recovering from battles, and unable to celebrate like it was preparing to now. It was Princess Lady Serenity Usagi Tsukino-Chiba's (for some reason unknown to either the monarchs or their closest advisors, courtiers adored having an abundance of names and titles, and tended to give the young princess, who really preferred just being called 'Chibiusa', as many as they could to make up for her parents not even giving her one middle name) sixteenth birthday. Well, her nine hundred and twenty seventh, to be precise, but her body and power both acted like she was sixteen or so, so that's what they declared her.

However, talk on the days leading up to the party was not, as was to be expected, on Princess Lady Serenity. Instead, it was on the rather shocking choice of Ambassador Isiah as the person to sit at her right hand, second down from the Queen herself.

"Why him?" Asked courtiers who considered themselves much more important and suitable than this man. "Why him?" Asked commoners who had never heard of the easygoing man, nor many much at all of his country besides the name, overshadowed as it tended to be by its more powerful neighbours.

Finally, Sailor Jupiter approached her friends Mercury and Venus, who had created the seating chart, with that same question.

"He is well-spoken, amusing, not as self-important as one would think of an ambassador, and inclined to leave politics out of the dinner conversation at a celebration. He won't use having met the Princess as a bargaining chip, and respects her, despite her youth, enough to not think meeting her at a dinner will immediately give him as 'in'. His country is peaceful, content, and not very ambitious itself, happy to maintain the status quo as long as they can ship unhindered and no one starts wars, but willing to stand up for themselves when necessary." Mercury was drawing a breath to continue when Venus cut her off.

"He's got enough panache and humour that he should, with a little bit of luck, be able to keep Chibiusa from throwing her dessert at one of the fawning morons that the poor girl will have to put up with on a day that's supposed to be a happy one." The blonde announced dryly. "Besides, no one was going to be happy unless they were seated next to the poor girl, so we picked one we could live with, and the rest can just go take a long walk off a short pier if they don't like it."

_Noun: __Dash or flamboyance in manner or style._

_I'm basing the ambassador off of a real person who went to my high school and honestly, in a debate tournament, gave one of his points as being "I just like to talk" and still managed, with the help of his partner, to win. To me, he just embodies the idea of panache._


	210. Punctilious

_Punctilious_

"What's eating Kunzite?" Jadeite asked, nursing the dislocated wrist he'd gotten in practice earlier that day due to his commander's bad mood.

Endymion just grinned and motioned his friend and protector over, the golden glow of magic gathered around his fingers betraying his intrest. It made sense; it wasn't like the blonde could do much guarding with that injury.

Nephrite, on the other hand, smirked. "Zoicyte's punctilious lass gave him an earful for abusing his guardian's duty to ensure the safety of our respective heirs just to spend more time with that blonde spitfire, Lady Venus."

"Hey! You take that back! She's just thorough, that's all!" Zoicyte demanded, quick to put down his book to defend the imaginary slight against the woman he was enthralled by.

"She brought out spreadsheets." Endymion quipped dryly, causing his youngest comrade to blush.

"_Very_ thorough." He amended, crossing his arms mulishly. Jadeite grinned, enjoying the other blonde's irritation.

"If she's that thorough about _teleportation_… Ouch! 'Dymion!" He protested, pulling his arm back from his liege's grip and cradling it to his chest. "I know it had to be put back into place, but that _hurt_!"

The prince shrugged, looking innocent. His friends, however, knew him better and could see the devilment in him as easily as they could Zoicyte's bristling.

Nephrite smiled slowly, enjoying the show the younger three were putting on for him. "I think that's his way of telling you that, while Zoicyte is fair game, you need to leave Princess Serenity's Senshi out of your little pissing contest. Besides, busy on the moon or not, Lady Mercury will probably _know_ if you say anything about her. Then you'll have to deal with _them_, not just a ticked off blondie." He flicked his fingers at Zoicyte almost dismissively, then added, as if an afterthought, "That means Lady Mars, too. You wouldn't want to get on _her_ bad side, would you?"

_Adjective: __Strictly attentive to the details of form in action or conduct; precise; exact in the smallest particulars._

_Because I can't not have Jadeite running his mouth. He's just too fun._


	211. Sapid

_Sapid_

It was heaven. That was all Usagi had the spare attention to think. Everything else, every fiber of her being, was totally immersed in her pleasant bliss.

She could fly: This wasn't like that. She could use magic: Still a nope. She was in love with a man who loved her unconditionally and eternally, the same way she loved him. _This_, though…

Unheeded by her, Ami and Makoto were talking in the background. "I think your new brownie recipe is a hit." The genius commented, eyeing their more exuberant friend.

"I wasn't totally sure." Makoto admitted, blushing at the praise. "There's so much sugar in them that I thought they might be too sweet."

"For _Usagi_? Isn't that like Haruka having a car too fast?"

"Not for _Usagi_! I could deep fry a brick and she'd eat it, convinced that since I'd made it, it was awesome. I meant for you and Rei."

"It's fine." Ami said, shaking her head. "It's sweet, but it combines well with the cocoa to provide a sapid flavour, not a sickeningly sugary one."

"That's good." The auburn haired cook said, smiling. She leaned back on her hands to watch her friend tripping out with pleasure over her new recipe. "Hey, do you think she'll be okay for class?"

Ami shrugged. "She's not with us. She can be Naru's problem then."

Makoto winced. "Poor girl. As if all the attacks weren't hard enough on her."

"Give her a brownie. I'm sure she'll forgive you for much worse than handing her a blissed-out Usagi for one. I would."

_Adjective:_ _having flavor, especially a strong pleasant flavor_


	212. Substrate

_Substrate_

_This is very, very AU, and quite cracky. I blame too much sun. I hope you enjoy it. Also, the first line is directly from the old UK version of the manga, and the second part of it is a deliberate copy of something a different author did in a fic that I'm afraid I cannot remember the name of at the moment, but it makes me laugh every time I think of it(though I think they used 'cold' ). Anytime I appear to have forgotten the invention of a thesaurus, it's probably just a tribute to that line. _

"Those you have destroyed, those you called enemies, were copies of myself." The huge cloud of darkness said, it's dark voice resounding darkly in the dark darkness. It looked about to go on, before a shimmering young woman interrupted it.

"Wait, wait, wait, you mean you're like the foam substrate for the carpet of evil?" Eternal Sailor Moon asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Probably not quite." Sailor Galaxia responded, glaring at the mass that tricked her so much with the promise of power. "It's more like the volcano evil builds its fortress on. Commanding and dangerous, but really just looking for a chance to mess things up for _everyone_, including the ones it's working with."

"Actually, I thought something quite different of it myself." Sailor Cosmos replied, tapping her lower lip with one elegant finger thoughtfully. "To be specific, it reminds me of making bread. There's the melted butter of us Senshi keeping an eye over the water of our respective charges, and it's the yeast at the bottom causing trouble and making bubbles that occasionally break through the butter layer."

"You just _had_ to bring up bread, didn't you?" Eternal Sailor Moon put her hands on her hips and glared at her ally, completely oblivious to Galaxia batting the end of her tirce away when it almost smacked her. "I'm _fighting_ here, and that always makes me hungry!" A smile came to her then, as her eyes took on a dreamy cast and her stance relaxed. "Mama makes the best bread! She puts cheese in the batter sometimes, and it's just _amazing…_"

A sharp clap broke her daydream, and both her and Sailor Cosmos (who had eaten Ikkuko's bread and was caught reminiscing as well) turned to the gold-adorned woman standing with them. "Fight now, snack later, okay? You're making me hungry."

_After the battle…_

"Now that you've fought Chaos, do you still think it's like flooring substrate?" A grown-up Chibichibi asked Usagi, sitting at the Tsukino's kitchen table eating hot, buttered bread, just the three of them. It was the one year anniversary of the battle with Chaos, and both Galaxia and Cosmos had snuck themselves past Pluto for a visit.

"Not really." The blonde replied, drawing invisible designs on the table with her finger. "It's more like… When you're making gingerbread, and you have to add the molasses. It's fine, important, even, as long as it's in the bowl, but it always manages to get out and make a mess of _everything._"

_Noun: Something that is spread or laid under something else._


	213. Revenant

Revenant

It wasn't that Tuxedo Kamen didn't like his girlfriend's mother, but the lady just freaked him out. Not Tsukino Ikuko, who was kind enough to keep her husband from gutting the student that he was in his day-to-day life for his audacity in thinking he could possibly be good enough to date Usagi (Mamoru privately agreed with him, but none of that changed the fact that the most wonderful person on the planet _loved_ him). No, it was Queen Serenity, that part magic, part science revenant of one who lived ages ago, that gave him the creeps.

Part of it was the way his girlfriend looked when she thought about the woman. He didn't like to see her sad, ever, and the memory of her previous incarnation's mother always layered melancholy under even the happiest smile his love could give.

Part of it was how she spoke to Usagi, treating her only like Serenity. They shared a soul and a destiny, but Usagi was not Serenity. Neither was Serenity Usagi. He could feel the remaining Endymion in him be irritated when Usagi tripped, or shirked her studies, or did other un-princess like behaviour, but he ignored it. Endymion may have loved Serenity with all his being, and she may indeed have been more than worthy of such love, but Mamoru didn't. Mamoru loved _Usagi_, even when she acted like a child or irritated others with her casual attitude. She was the yin to his yang, and he would never ask for her to be anything other than what she was.

Mostly, though, he figured it was the Queen's unearthly presence that unnerved him. With his psycometry and earth magic, he could literally _feel_ the life force of those around him. Even with aliens like those cats, there was an earthly body he could connect with. Same with the holograms of villains they fought. There was still a body _somewhere_, and he got echos of its signature.

Queen Serenity, on the other hand, was not only entirely alien, she was dead and had been for long enough for her body to fully decompose. Or perhaps that had been instantaneous with her death, the magic that gave her child a second chance incinerating her from within. Either way, she was entirely unconnected to anything in the world.

Battles, betrayals, mind-control, the death of those he held dear, those he could, and had, faced. His girlfriend's dead other-mother, though… _She_ freaked him right out, enough that he almost stopped visiting the resting place of his own parents.

With the way his life was going, ghosts were all to likely.

_Noun: __one who returns after death or a long absence_


	214. Lionize

_Lionize_

"You're too old to be playing hide and seek" Declared a dedicatedly troublemaking eight year old. Normally, when he remembered to make allowances for the fact that the kid _was_ a kid, Kunzite got along well with his fellow Shitennou-in-training. At his lofty age of a whole ten years, the only of the boys in double digits, he felt quite proud of himself for putting up with the others so well.

"I'm not playing games." He replied, turning his nose into the air.

"You're hiding from Prince Endymion. He's looking for you. That's a game. Ergo…" The brunette smirked, and Kunzite resisted the urge to punch him in the face. It was just the sort of trouble the younger boy was trying to catch him.

"It's not _my_ fault the brat decided to lionize me!" He hissed, shaking his platinum-blonde hair irritably. "Given the choice, I'd be perfectly happy to transfer his adoration onto you!"

Nephrite crossed his arms and scowled, not liking the reminder that his future liege hadn't been impressed with his predictive qualities. _"Kunzite doesn't need tricks like that! He just _can_ handle anything, so it doesn't matter if he doesn't know it's coming!"_ The young child had declared, staring mutinously up at the older one.

Suddenly his face split into a vindictive smirk. "Have fun playing nursemaid." He turned and marched off then, the long curls emphasizing his displeasure. Kunzite barely had time to mutter some of the words he'd overheard the guardsmen use before there was a slight tug on his sleeve. He turned to see the expected bright blue eyes and messy black hair.

"Mama says it's time for lessons." The tyke before him said seriously. "I don't like my tutor. He's mean." Kunzite could sympathize, despising the man himself. The most intelligent man in the world he may be, but the man couldn't teach a river to flow, and had a short temper to boot. "Will you help?" The kid held out his letter board hopefully, and Kunzite knew he was sunk.

"Sure." He muttered, ignoring the way his charge's face lit up at his acceptance. "Let's go to the library."

He didn't protest too hard when the little one grabbed his hand on the way. After all, Endymion wasn't going to be five forever.

_Verb__: to treat or regard as an object great interest or importance._


	215. Gadabout

_Gadabout_

_This comes after postprandial, and makes lionize part of this AU-verse, which is slowly taking over the story_

Kunzite buried his hands in his hair and longed, with an force that almost hurt, for the days when Endymion had refused to get into trouble because "Kunzite wouldn't like it." He wished he'd taken the flat of his blade to Zoicyte and Jadeite more often after they teased the young prince about his devotion to his eldest guardian. Had that happened, maybe they wouldn't be in _this_ mess.

"Let me get this straight." He ground out, each word sounding like it hurt him to say. "You three decided, on a whim, to sneak into the Lunarian palace. Not only did you do that, but you got caught being there. Then, _he_," He gestured to Endymion, who was not paying any attention to the ire of his oldest friend, as busy as he seemed to be daydreaming about the reason for Kunzite's looming headache, "Went and _fell for the Moon Princess!_ What part of that could _possibly_ have _ever_ sounded like a good idea?"

"We didn't think we'd see anyone." Was all Jadeite could say, shrugging helplessly. "It was the middle of the night there."

"It was the middle of the night _here_, and _you_ were all apparently up!" He snarled at the two blondes, furious.

"It was just supposed to be a lark. Like when Lord Dimitri sneaks down to the slums to play poker." Zoicyte said, looking suitably chastised. There was something else there, too…

Kunzite exhaled his breath in a huff as he threw himself backwards into his chair. He knew that look. It seemed all three had found something interesting there on the moon.

"You are not like all the other young men here." He said, telling them something they should already know. "You have magic, and skills beyond normal men, and uncanny abilities that, while not quite magic per se, are still extraordinary. You have a position higher than anyone in the court, save for the current King's Shitennou and the royal family themselves. Such gadabout behaviour is disrespectful to your liege, as it undermines his authority. There's more than just that, though. People not at the court, people that never get the chance to engage in such foolish behaviour because their lives depend on their actions, rely upon _you_. They put their trust in _you_, that you will keep them safe, and fed, and housed. That they will have someone to speak for them, and champion them before the indolent nobles who don't deserve their titles. That they will have something to strive for, someone to emulate. It's not just the rule forbidding us from travelling to or speaking with the moon that you broke. It was all those vows, and all those trusts. For centuries this planet was ruled by wars, when rulers who thought more of themselves than their charges fought over pride. If you cause people to lose trust in you, we will return to that."

He sighed then, and shook his head. The two before him were looking suitably horrified, and even Endymion had been drawn out of his daydream. "There's nothing for it now. When one of them shows up in a few days to discuss the current situation, send for me at once. When I know more about what we're dealing with, then we can work out where to go from here."

_Noun: __one who roams about in search of amusement or social activity_


	216. Acme

_Acme_

Artemis shook his head. Minako was doing well in her new role, but she was still far too much teenager and far too little soldier. Even now, when she complained about a battle, all he could think was _It's not going to get easier, kiddo_.

"After all." He muttered to himself, watching her play the Sailor V game with glee, "If this Danburite fool is the acme of the Dark Kingdom, I'm a green monkey."

_Noun: __the highest point of something_


	217. Copacetic

_Copacetic_

"How is school going, Ami?" It was a rare morning when her mother was home, and Ami treasured the time to linger over tea chatting with the person she loved best in the world.

That was why she considered so carefully her answer. She thought of the nasty jokes, the shunning, the loneliness that seemed to follow her everywhere and just about opened her mouth to let it all spill to her mother. The woman would get her transferred in a heartbeat if Ami asked, Juuban Junior High just being the most convenient acceptable school when they'd come here. She'd heard good things about Mugen Academy…

Then she remembered bright, cheerful blue eyes, an odd blonde hairstyle, and an open smile. She remembered playing a video game for the first time ever, and the surge of joy she'd felt on being asked to hang out for the first time by a peer. Her mouth, already open to request the switch, said something totally different.

"Copacetic, mother. It's all I could really expect from a school. And Crystal Cram School makes up for anything that may be lacking. I'm content with things they way they are."

Her mother shot her a look that made her think both her first and second trains of thought were written all over her face in neon lights. A small smile curved the woman's lips, showing the understated beauty that had captured the attention of an artist. "Good. I'm glad."

That was all that was said on the matter, conversation moving on as conversations did, but perhaps that was all that needed to be.

_Adjective: __very satisfactory_


	218. Portend

_Portend_

The great fire was roaring higher than normal, and Rei felt her gut clench. That on its own was enough to portend terrible things. The way things were, with the safety of that little child at stake, made her want only good things even more than normal.

She almost didn't want to meditate, didn't want to know just what it was that was affecting the spirits. However, she knew her duty, both as a Senshi and as a priestess.

It was still comforting, and she took heart from that. It didn't give her any details of what was to come, but there was a definite sense of protection.

_Don't worry._ It told her. _I'm not coming for you today._

She wondered who was to burn, and shuddered.

_Verb:__ to foreshadow; to bode_


	219. Rapine

_Rapine_

"Why, the rapine that is happening right as we speak somewhere on that ghastly planet is all the proof we need that they are uncivilized brutes, and unfit to join us in these hallowed halls!" The assembled councillors applauded with much more that their usual gusto, united for once in their unreasonable fear of the Terrans.

No one noticed the single tear that traced down the Queen's cheek. She'd opened this discussion up before, but never had it been this urgent. Her mind drifted to a girl-child on the brink of womanhood who was currently sneaking down to that green planet with her four best friends secretly following her.

_I'm so sorry, my love_. She thought, distraught. _I'm so sorry. For you, for him, for what you both will be put through when this comes out…_

Even for something as heartbreaking as that, though, the Queen only had one tear to shed. That was the price of ruling, detest it as she did. She thought again of her daughter, the joy of her life. For her, she would bring this up again and again until she convinced them to give Terra a chance. She never wanted her daughter to have to rule alone, as she did. She narrowed her eyes at the councillors, ignoring what they were saying in view of what might bring them to her side.

Her smirk was just as hidden as her heartbreak had been. They didn't know it, but they'd just turned this chamber into a battlefield with their stubbornness. It was a battle she intended to win, for her sweet Serenity's sake.

_Verb:__ the act of plundering_


	220. Tchotchke

_Tchotchke_

Even when his friends dismissed his signed Sailor Moon figurine as a childish tchotchke, Shingo had never considered getting rid of it. His friends adored Sailor Moon too, he knew, but they were 'too old' for that sort of paraphernalia.

Shingo didn't think he'd ever grow out of his Sailor Moon collection.

Unlike the others, he didn't think about her _like that_. He idolized and adored her, but it wasn't for her outfit like so many other males. He had Mika, who he wouldn't trade for anyone in the world, superhero or not. Okay, so he'd had a little crush on his sister's friend Ami for a while too, that was normal. It also had nothing to do with his Sailor Moon collection.

For him, the collection was less about worshipping a hero and more about defending a different opinion of his. No matter how clumsy, lazy, and stupid his sister seemed at times, she was still his big sister, and Shingo idolized her in the way almost every child looked up to their older siblings. For a while he'd almost hated her as it seemed she would never live up to his opinion of her, but all that had changed a long time ago.

All he had to do was look at his Sailor Moon figurine to know she wasn't what he had thought of her. His big sister was so much more that just that.

_Noun: __a trinket; a knickknack._


	221. Woolgathering

_Woolgathering_

It was almost exam time, but not even Ami could bring herself to berate the blondes for woolgathering. It was warm, they were cozy, no one was attacking, and Chibiusa was visiting.

As she ran her fingers through MInako's head, which had slumped onto her shoulder a while ago, she smiled.

This was a time for relaxation, and not even the approaching tests could convince her otherwise. So she just sat with those who were important to her, and smiled.

Even the prospects of the wails Usagi and Minako would make when they had to re-take the math exam again this year too couldn't dull the feeling contentment, so Ami just gave in to it.

_Verb: __indulgence in idle daydreaming_

_As you can probably tell, the weather in Rotarua is wet, and miserable, and windy, and all the cool stuff I want to do it outside. On the other hand, I'm only 13 days behind now... I hope you enjoy them._


	222. Animadvert

_Animadvert_

"He slouches too much." Venus commented under her breath, and Mars nodded.

"Plus he doesn't make eye contact. It makes him look shifty, like someone we wouldn't want to trust." She added, narrowing her violet eyes at the speaker.

"He fidgets, too." Jupiter supplied helpfully, Mercury chiming in a beat later.

"Several of his words are badly chosen, and it changes the entire meaning of his speech from what he's trying to convince us it means."

The bureaucrat they were discussing flushed, and Luna spoke up. "Girls! This is a royal audience, not Toastmasters! You're supposed to be listening to his speech, not animadvert about his presentation!"

"We are listening." Mercury replied, reaching out to pet the irate feline. "We're just listing why we think he's a lying weasel so he'll understand why we're giving his proposal a resounding 'no', that's all."

_Verb: __to comment unfavorably or critically._

_Hmm… I'm not totally sure this is how it should be used. It feels awkward. As always, this isn't actually an English lesson, so take my usage with a grain of salt. Or a mountain, in this case._


	223. Anoesis

_Anoesis_

There were words for just about everything. Words for how upset you were when your team lost, words for how angry you were during your first big fight, words for how your first kiss felt, words for how your wedding felt, and even words for the sorrow you feel when someone close to you passes away.

It wasn't until Ikuko held her daughter for the first time, however, that she realized there were some things words just couldn't describe. 'Bliss' was incorrect (she had just given birth, which was never a walk in the park, no matter how 'easy' she'd had it), 'fulfilled' was to self-serving, 'humbled' and 'awed' ignored the pride involved, and even 'love' didn't quite manage to cover everything.

This was what she told people later. At the moment, her mind was completely absorbed with the little miracle she was holding. She didn't even think, just _felt_ in a steady, powerful wave.

When her little girl proved to have little interest in school, learning, cooking, or anything else, Ikuko felt a frustration she couldn't begin to describe. She wanted the best for her child, but such things simply weren't just dropped into laps without work, work her daughter seemed to have no interest in doing.

Those worries were quelled when she saw the emotions of the world written plainly on her child's face. That even at such a tender age Usagi so easily slipped into the anoesis that it had taken her twenty-five years to find made her think that maybe, just maybe, her daughter's capacity to love and _feel_ would be enough.

_Noun: __a state of mind consisting of pure sensation or emotion without cognitive content._


	224. Anomie

_Anomie_

"I thought I'd find you if I just looked hard enough! What are you doing hiding, Mars?" The terrified brunette glared at the girl that was supposed to be their leader. Even if her and the intelligent Mercurian girl had formed a truce, she wasn't sure what she thought of the other girl.

'_Be like sisters' my foot!_ She thought savagely. _These girls are no family of mine!_ She'd just had a vision more powerful than any she'd had before, and it was of pain and death. The last thing she wanted to deal with now was a childish Venusian.

Venus, however, totally ignored the fact that she was very obviously _not welcome_ and sat herself down next to Mars, wrapping an arm around her. Her voice was uncommonly serious, nothing like the jovial tone that had interrupted her thoughts earlier. "Even if we don't share your precognition talents, we won't let you face whatever it is alone. However, you have to tell us what's bothering you before we can help you dispel this anomie."

Violet eyes full of fire glared into hardening blue ones. "You know nothing of what you say."

One pale brow raised in an obviously dismissive gesture. "Only because you won't tell us. I won't force it now, but your powers are enhanced now, strengthened by the oaths we took last solstice. They are also tuned into Princess Serenity. For her sake, you will need to tell us eventually. Being a Senshi means power, responsibility, and isolation. It also means always having your fellows to help shoulder those burdens."

Mars narrowed her eyes at the normally light-hearted blonde. "You sound very eloquent for someone who screeches so much."

The other adolescent shrugged. "Remedial lessons in philosophy by Sailor Eris. She could probably teach a _stone_ to listen if she had to."

_Noun: __a sense of loneliness and anxiety._


	225. Bandersnatch

_Bandersnatch_

"I don't understand your reasoning, Usagi. We're attacked by aliens or conquerors on a regular basis, and you find the need to blame a bandersnatch for being late?"

"It was real!"

"You told our teacher you missed attendance today because a sasquatch asked you for directions!"

_Noun: __an imaginary wild animal of fierce disposition._


	226. Billow

_Billow_

Her artistic eye would normally have been caught by the graceful billow of her curtains, but even that fleeting beauty didn't hold her attention.

Instead, she smiled at the endearingly aggravated expression on the strawberry-blonde that was glancing around her room. "Lord Zoicite." She greeted, inclining her head. "Are you looking for someone?" Her eyes twinkled, and she could see his temper receeding at the humour.

"Not you, but I am certainly not protesting the turn of events. However, I regret that I haven't time to stay right now. Prince Endymion is required down on earth, and his parents will notice if he isn't there soon."

She raised one delicate eyebrow. "You've lost your monarch? Oh dear, that's not good." He flushed lightly at the teasing remonstration. He opened his mouth, though he didn't know what he was about to say. No one would learn, however, as Lady Mercury stood up and gestured for him to follow. "She wanted cookies. The kitchens are this way."

_Verb: __to rise or roll in or like a great wave; surge._


	227. Dorsal

_Dorsal_

"Look! Look at the size of those doorsill fins! Wow, those dolphins must be huge!"

From the look of the whale-watching tour guide, Minako wasn't doing the best job impressing her latest 'first love'. On the other hand, he wasn't likely to forget her…

"It's 'dorsal', Minako." Ami corrected idly, not even glancing towards the more exuberant girl. "And even though you're right about it not actually being a whale, the Orca isn't a dolphin either. It's a porpoise."

_Adjective: __situated on the back_


	228. Druthers

_Druthers_

"So how do you want to go about this fight?" Sailor Mars asked in an undertone to her comrades. They were standing in the snow just outside their enemy's lair. "Straight in the front, sneak around to the back, or split up?"

"All have their own merits, but I think…" Sailor Mercury began before her green-suited teammate cut her off.

"If I had _my_ druthers, it would be a DDR dance off in a warm room with hot chocolate and cookies." She grouched, not happy about the weather.

Sailor Venus seemed enthused by this idea. "Hey, do you think you could be our next enemy? Maybe the rest of them will back off when they see it's a three-way fight."

_Noun: __one's own way, choice, or preference_


	229. Endemic

_Endemic_

"It is a strange planet. Within this system, uncultivated plants and animals are endemic to the Earth. Though many planets have great gardens, it is expensive in terms of magic and effort to keep them healthy. The same goes for menageries.

"Another unique trait of Terra is the fact that its surface is about two-thirds water. Very few other celestial bodies have such a make up. Indeed, many prominent scientists hypothesize that it is actually _because_ of the water that it supports life on its own, without a planetary crystal. Indeed, we can see from comparisons to similar planets in the Pleiades Commonwealth that this idea is…"

"Hssst! Venus!" Mercury prodded the sleepy blonde back awake, causing the girl to smack her head on the wall when she jerked up. Sailor Harumea continued her lecture, knowing it would come out in next week tests who had been paying attention. Everyone who didn't do acceptably would just be assigned punishment duty until they managed to complete a satisfactory essay on the subject at hand.

"What did I miss?" The natural warleader asked softly, glancing at the girl who'd been her co-conspirator for about a year now, ever since the infamous knife-fight.

"Earth has lots of water, and that's why they have plants and animals too." Jupiter summed up, interrupting. Her easy-going attitude had helped her and the other martial-minded girl form a sort of friendship. Besides, if Venus failed the test, she'd have no one to spar against in her free time until Mercury managed to teach the blonde enough about Earth to satisfy Sailor Harumea. It was always easier just to pass the test the first time.

_Adjective: __belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place_


	230. Etiology

_Etiology_

"Artemis, you know this isn't going to help, right?" Ami asked, looking at the frazzled white cat with sympathy. "I wholeheartedly approve of your sudden interest in etiology, but there's nothing wrong with Minako. It's not some sort of brain disease, she just thinks she's in love."

"Again." He sighed, sounding longsuffering. Ami barely managed to stifle her giggles at the poor feline's despondent attitude. He had to live with a 'love-struck' Minako. He didn't need Ami laughing at him as well. Luna already was.

_Noun: __the study of the causes of diseases._


	231. Ferly

_Ferly_

"Why does Rei look so shocked?" Makoto asked as she slid into the booth, directing her question at the other girl sitting with them.

"Minako's latest and greatest ferly comment." Ami said, pressing her homework between paper towel sheets.

Makoto rolled her eyes. "Ah. I almost want to ask what she said, but I think I've leaned better by now. What happened to your homework?"

"She spat her drink out over it when that crazy blonde opened her mouth." Rei replied, her voice curiously detached.

The tall brunette whistled, green eyes contemplative. "What did she… No, you know what, don't tell me. I don't want to know. Whatever brain-breakage she's been managing this time, I don't need to hear about it. It's not like she won't top it next week."

_Adjective: __something unusual, strange, or causing wonder or terror_

_No, I'm not going to tell you what she did. It's like the 'noodle incident' in Calvin and Hobbes, open to your imagination._


	232. Flaxen

_Flaxen_

Though he was supposed to be trained to act appropriately in an ambush situation, his guard was almost never properly up when he was in his room. As such, it wasn't until he'd been tugged off his feet and pulled into a closet that he, Lord Jadeite of the East, even opened his mouth to yell, let alone got his hands up to fight.

"Quiet!" Hissed a familiar voice, and he stopped struggling.

"Zoicite? What devilment are you up to now?" He got out before his mouth was covered with a hand he briefly considered biting.

"I'm saving your life. Well, maybe just your sanity, but still. Now be quiet, or he'll find us." Zoicite's voice was low enough to not carry beyond the walls around him, and Jadeite rolled his eyes and complied.

Not a moment to soon, it appeared, as his liege came flying into the room in a tizzy. "Jadeite? Jadeite!" He called, but his guardian had gone completely still on seeing the paper in the black-haired man's hand.

Not seeing anyone, Endymion went to the door and called to a passing servant. "Marie! Have you seen Lord Jadeite? Or Lord Zoicite?"

"No, Your Highness, I'm afraid I haven't. Are they possibly down on the training grounds?" The matronly woman was their extra-mother since they'd come to the palace said, sounding startled. Jadeite wasn't surprised, as she'd seen him wave as he entered the room just a few minutes earlier.

"I didn't see them." Endymion replied, sounding aggravated.

"Well, I'll tell them you want to see them if I find them. Will you be in your study? Shall I give them a message?"

"Yes, I'll be there. Hey, I don't suppose you know something that rhymes with 'flaxen', do you?"

Marie was silent for a moment, and they could imagine the stern look she was giving him. "Your Highness, you wouldn't happen to be writing poetry for a young lady, now would you? Do your parents know you have a sweetheart?"

"Never mind, Marie." He informed her hastily. "Just tell them I'll be in my study if you see them, alright?" She didn't answer, so the two in the closet assumed he had fled before her familiar questioning.

A few moments later, the door was pulled open and she stood before them. "Alright you two, what do you think you're doing hiding in here?" She asked, her hands on her hips.

Zoicite rolled his eyes. "Have you _heard_ our prince's poetry? I think anyone would hide from that!"

_Adjective:__ of the pale yellowish color of dressed flax or linen._


	233. Harrowing

_Harrowing_

"That was the most harrowing night of my life! The screams, the tears, the desperate denials… Truly, it was an experience I would never wish to repeat."

"Rei, you've fought monsters, seen the end of the world, been _killed_, and none of that matches up to the stress of _last night_?"

"… I'll tell you what, Ami: Next time, _you_ can be the one with Minako and Makoto when their favourite singer comes out of the closet."

_Adjective:__ extremely disturbing or distressing; grievous._


	234. Jaundiced

_Jaundiced_

Queen Serenity glared at her ministers, incensed by their bull-headedness and jaundiced attitude towards the Terrans. She was _trying_ to negotiate a _peace_, something they all claimed was the most important thing in the universe, and all they could do was come up with stupid, hidebound little arguments that betrayed their own petty jealousy.

Still, she would persevere. Her daughter's future rested on this.

King Ganymede and Queen Hebe glanced at each other, silently commiserating on the difficulty they were currently facing. They were trying to convince their stubborn and quarrelsome vassals to accept peace with an enemy that the earth had been united against since a time immemorial.

They were not so unaware of their child's regrettable and likely dangerous attachment as he would imagine. Nor were they as blind as they pretended to be to the growing fondness between the young Shitennou and their counterparts, the Senshi. They hoped it would turn out to be nothing more than infatuation, but were assuming it wasn't.

They weren't going to let their beloved child and the children they'd almost come to think of as their own face problems as harsh as the disapproval of these troublemaking warmongers right as soon as they were required to step up to their duties. So far they'd managed to put off betrothing their son, but things were getting harder.

Still, they would persevere. Their son's future rested on this.

_Adjective: __affected with or exhibiting prejudice, as from envy or resentment._


	235. Lummox

_Lummox_

"Let go of me! I'm going to tell Mom if you don't leave me alone!" Shingo hollered, gaining the odd pair looks at the blonde hauled him through the streets by his ear.

"I can't believe you did that!" She fumed, not letting go of him, though she was careful not to twist as she drug her brother away from the scene he was causing in the park. "I just… I just can't believe you did that!" She finally released him, judging that they were far enough away that he wouldn't just head back to the park.

"She called you a lummox!"

"So do you."

"That's different." He replied sulkily as they continued trudging towards their home.

"Not really." She replied lightly. "But I understand what you mean." She leaned in and kissed her brother's forehead. "That doesn't mean it's okay to give her a fat lip, even if she is three years older than you."

"Ewww! Cooties!" Shingo replied, making a face and totally ignoring his sister's remonstration. "You're going to get germs on me!" He ran off, calling over his shoulder. "Last one home's a rotten egg!"

Usagi just sighed and shook her head, leaning against a tree. She knew she was starting middle school soon, and should do something about the habits that made her an easy target for names like that, but shoved the thought away as she always did. She would have the rest of her life to be an adult.

She took off through the garden next to where she was. She knew where there was an overhanging tree that would nullify Shingo's head start.

_Noun: a stupid, clumsy person_


	236. Mendacity

_Mendacity_

Considering how little she got to see of her mother, it was hard for Ami to tear herself away when the communicator went off. However, she was a Senshi, and her duty came first always.

However, not ever having turned down time with her mother before, Ami had a hard time coming up with a good excuse. She thought she got away with telling her mother that a friend was in trouble and needed her help, implying one of her friends was having relationship issues and on the verge of a breakdown, but her mother's voice quelled that thought.

"Your sudden mendacity is troubling." The woman said, her gaze pinning her teenage daughter in a way she'd never expected to have to use, though she remembered it from being young herself.

Ami blushed, but there was no actual remorse in her body language. "It's important." She said, meeting her mother's gaze easily.

She was silent for a moment, and watched her daughter fidget. It wasn't an I've-been-caught fidget, but more of an I-really-need-to-leave-right-this-instant-but-am-too-polite-to-run-off fidget. "It had better not be a boy." She warned the girl, her own heartbreak clear in her mind. She would do much to prevent that pain in her daughter, pulling angry parent on a boy being only the lowest on the list.

Ami drew back then slightly, looking offended. "I didn't say 'Important to me'." She told her mother, eyes flashing fire at being thought so foolish. "I said _important_!"

"Hmm." Her mother mused, rolling the idea over in her mind. "If you were to see an accident on the way to wherever, would you stop and help them?" Ami looked away then, and the older woman leaned back, satisfied. Even for the excuse she gave, a person in actual danger would come first. "I hope you tell me what it is someday, because I can't imagine what could be that important, but I won't ask again. I _will_ ask this: Don't lie to me, Ami. I trust your judgement, but you make it hard to do so when you lie." She got up and gave her daughter a hug, kissing her on the forehead. "We'll come up with a code later, so that I can tell when you're missing due to this secret and when I should call the cops due to you being gone in the middle of the night." Her daughter turned red again, but nodded.

"Call it vet business." The girl suggested. "I'll talk about my friends' cats, Luna and Artemis. That way I can leave messages for you at work if I have to."

Doctor Mizuno nodded herself, then gave her child a last squeeze before releasing her. "Be safe, and take care of yourself."

"I will, mother." Then her daughter was gone, like a shadow that had seen light. She stared after her for a moment, then turned back to regard the two teacups sitting on the table, steam still rising from the top. Idly, she wondered when her daughter had quit being a girl. Even for someone as mature as Ami, fifteen was very young.

_Noun: __a tendency to lie; untruthfulness_.


	237. Milquetoast

_Milquetoast_

_Rated T for language._

"She's such a boring little milquetoast teacher's pet. Despite her brains, someone like her is going to end up working a dead-end job for a dead-beat husband, just because she doesn't ever say no to anyone." Ami heard the whispers, but they were nothing new. Similar things had been said her whole life, and it wasn't as if anyone _important_ believed them. Just three gossiping classmates trying to pretend they were important, one more desperately than the others.

Minako, however, was raring for a fight, and perfectly content to start a screaming match in the halls of her new university. "Tell me," She said to the girl who had spoken, almost oozing false curiosity, "Were you born this stupid, or did you just get run over by too many parked cars when you were growing up?"

The girl drew back, obviously offended, but Minako was still going. "I'm just asking because it seems _blatantly_ obvious that you can't tell the difference between a doormat yes-man like your sycophants and someone who just doesn't give a shit because she has better things to do than listen to your jealous vitriol. In case you haven't noticed, Ami is the one with career prospects, true friends that love being around _her_, not her money, and is attractive enough that your boyfriend would drop your ass in a heartbeat if Ami would ever give him the time of day without needing to dress like a burlesque dancer. As well…"

"As well, I'm not involved in this argument, so I'm the only one who's finished our assigned literature essay, I'm sure." Ami broke in, just as she hit save on her laptop. She closed the lid, then looked up over the rim of her reading glasses at the squabbling girls. "Minako, if you still want help with yours, you should get over here. If not, I'm going to give Rei a call. She's got a free afternoon tomorrow, and we were considering going to see that new movie. Since I've finished my work, that would be a great way to fill the time. If you're done by then, you should join us. I've only got an hour until my lifeguarding shift, though, so decide quickly."

Minako was sitting next to Ami so quickly the girl she was arguing with was left blinking. Ami peered at her curiously. "You should get started too." She informed the other, much to the confused girl's surprise. "You tend to show up on the day big assignments are due with an extra-large coffee and blinking. It's not good for you." Then she turned to one of the girl's attending 'friends'. "You should probably stop pretending to be dumb just to fit in with them. Workplaces will look at your marks, you know. As well, you don't want one of your teachers telling them that you never give anything your all." She smiled good-naturedly at the last one in the group. "And you _should_ tell your boyfriend you love him. He deserves to know, and you'll feel better when you're not keeping something that important from someone you care for. Besides, I remember him from elementary school, and he's more sensitive than you seem to think. Now, if that's everything, do you think you three could stop chattering through class? You're messing up the speech-to-text software of the nice deaf girl that sits in the front row. I don't mind giving her a copy of my notes, but she still misses things if she can't understand the professor."

All three were blushing now, and they took their leave with impressive haste. Minako just turned her amused gaze on her friend. "They're never going to believe you're harmless again, you know." She informed her friend, who was as amused as the blonde was, even if she hid it well.

"If I cared what they believed, that would matter. Now, about this essay?"

"Slavedriver."

_Noun__: a very timid, unassertive, spineless person_


	238. Pica

_Pica_

"It's a good thing you're only getting pregnant once in this lifetime." Rei told Usagi as she filed her nails. "You're really something with your hormones all over the place."

The 8 ½ month pregnant Queen hissed at her best friend like an angry cat. She'd have retorted, but was too occupied with the chocolate cake she was shovelling into her mouth to respond. She swallowed furiously, then brandished her fork at the raven-haired woman sitting across the room. "You don't have to be here!" She snarked. "Don't you have actual work to do?"

"Hmm? Yes. With you out of commission due to excessive crabbiness, there's more work for all of us."

"Then why aren't you doing _that_, instead of _bothering_ me all the time?"

"Because," Rei replied, twirling her hair and looking bored, just to see her friend bristle even more. She was not disappointed. "Last time we left you alone, you started gnawing on the corner of your favourite book. Your pica is of more concern to us than whatever the courtiers are whining about this week. We _do_ take shifts preventing you from chewing on the furniture, however. Even Mamoru, who loves you dearly, doesn't want to spend _that _much time with you right now."

She ducked the book thrown at her head by a shrieking, livid blonde and smirked. She had to make this duty entertaining _somehow_…

_Noun__: an abnormal appetite for substances that are not fit to eat._


	239. Pleonasm

_Pleonasm_

If asked, any mother the universe over could have told you that a twenty minute lecture on responsibility and how grateful they should be about being successors to the positions they were being trained for would fall on deaf ears when presented to three boys between the ages of five and seven years old.

No one asked a mother. Instead, one of the stuffy politicians that handed over their own children to nannies and tutors was trying to impress on Crown Prince Endymion, Lord Jadeite, and Lord Zoicite the duties and responsibilities of their positions. Needless to say, it was a disaster from the get-go.

Finally, a twelve year old Kunzite stepped in. He was mature enough, even at that age, to begin to understand the politics of the world around him, and knew that the three troublemakers before him were going to be his job to train. He flat-out told the politician that he could leave, having no patience for toadies, and then turned to the sullen and rebellious youngsters. They hadn't liked the older man any more than he had, and it showed.

"I'll make this short, with none of the pleonasm that marked that fool's speech. You're important to the Empire, and as such are not going to be raised the way normal children are. You will start weapons training earlier, will be allowed to mingle with the court earlier, and will have greater access to both the palace and the city than a normal noble boy. However, should you lie, break promises, start fights, or refuse to do your assigned work, you will be dealing with _me_, and I will _not_ go easy on you just because of your size. Understood?" There were three assents, offered with various degrees of annoyance, and he nodded.

"Good enough. Let's go watch the guardsmen train." Their faces lightened up noticeably at that.

"We're allowed to do that?" Jadeite asked excitedly, looking thrilled.

"Only if we don't bother them." Endymion told him haughtily, still not sure what to think of the newcomers he'd been lumped in with and blaming them for the lecture he'd just received. Kunzite quelled him with a look, then turned to the bigger of the blondes.

"Only if you keep out of the way, and only if you're with either Nephrite or myself. They don't know you yet, and will kick you out if you go alone. Understood?"

Jadeite nodded, and, when prompted, so did Zoicite. Endymion already knew, from experience, that the soldiers didn't let anyone under ten watch them unsupervised. Kunzite led them away then, already dreading the next few years.

Why did he have to be the oldest?

_Noun__: the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea._


	240. Tawdry

_Tawdry_

"I don't even have words for that outfit." Venus said, staring in horrified awe at the woman before them.

"The fan does _not_ help." Jupiter said, nodding her agreement. "And that giant gemstone is just tacky. She looks every inch an evil minion from a video game."

"Do you think it's a requirement that people from Nemesis dress like they were in a costume shop and forgot to turn the lights on?"

"I dunno. What are the chances that thing's real? We could hock it and put all the orphans in the country through university."

"It's probably paste. Just listen to her laugh. What are the chances anything else on her is genuine?"

"Girls!" Came Mercury's crisp voice as she clapped her hands for attention. "Do you think maybe we can postpone discussion of just how tawdry Emerald looks until _after_ the battle? There's a droid busy wreaking havoc _right now_, you know!"

_Adjective:_ _gaudy, showy and cheap_


	241. Titubant

_Titubant_

"I'm grateful for how he encourages her, I really am, but couldn't Tuxedo Kamen find a way to make his appearances more subtle?" Sailor Mercury asked, looking a mildly aggravated. Considering how repressed she normally was when angry, Sailor Mars knew she was really ticked off.

She could understand. Sailor Moon had needed three sharp comments and _two_ rescues to shake off the distraction her crush's regular titubant entrance caused.

"At the very least," She observed, knowing her own pique bled through her words, "Could he disconcert the enemy more than our leader?"

_Noun: __a disturbance resulting in an uncertain gait and trembling._


	242. VEsuvian

_Vesuvian_

"I am shocked. Utterly shocked. Do you _know_ what you just did?" Lord Kunzite glared at his subordinate, not appreciating his continued harping on his elders' mistake.

"It was merely a slip of the tongue, that is all. No one noticed." He muttered, feeling his temper fray.

"But you can't _know_ that!" Zoicite cried, and Kunzite knew his comrade was feeling the same worry he was over the mistake. "You… You… I don't _care_ how unpredictable she is, that blonde Senshi you are so enamored of is _Venusian_. The young brat you were arguing with in the council chamber is _Vesuvian_."

_Adjective: __volcanic, or pertaining to a fierce or fiery disposition._


	243. Votary

_Votary_

"And just _what_ am I supposed to do with this self-proclaimed votary? Hunh? It's all very well for _you_ to say she's funny, but you're not listening to her go _on_ and _on_ about how she 'wishes to serve' me!" Usagi yelled at a giggling Minako, both apparently not giving a hoot about professional dignity at the moment. Ami sighed. She'd yet to change Minako, but Usagi was getting better at being regal.

"What happened?" She asked, hoping she could sort this out before the whole evening went down the drain.

"Some noble's daughter has decided to 'fight the good fight' by joining us." Minako summed up for her. "She's 'dedicated her life to the great Neo-Queen Serenity', and is following Usagi _everywhere_!"

"Amiiiiiii!" The girl whined, flinging herself on her more sympathetic friend's arm. "What do I doooooo? I don't want to discourage her, but she's being a huge pain! And she brought _friends_ with her today!"

"Let her."

"… What?"

"I said, 'let her'." Ami replied. "Bring her to the training grounds first thing in the morning. Then she can sit in with Rei when she deals with the religious sects, then join me for the hearing the Mexican Ambassador insisted on, then patrol with Lita and Minako in the evening. Tell her that she's forsaking her family and any chance of a relationship. Write up a set of vows for her to take. Then, when she's overwhelmed, offer her a different position. If we can train Minako to be a statesman, we can train her. Then she can take on some of the duties that we don't _have_ to do ourselves, and we can have more time to do the things we must."

"Ami, you're brilliant."

She snorted indelicately. "She can pick up some of Minako's slack. Why we got stuck with someone that lazy in such a position of power…" She was silenced by a pillow to the face, but didn't mind so much. It had been a rough day, and she was more than willing to take on the two blondes in a battle of feathery semi-violence.

_Noun: __one devoted to some pursuit, worship, study, or way of life_


	244. Weltschmerz

_Weltschmerz_

"Diana!" Neo-Queen Serenity cried out, shocked to see the kitten back so soon. "Weren't you going to the time gate?"

The girl, portraying her feline side to a 't', just sat down and started cleaning a paw. "I did." She said around her activity, looking bored. "She sent me back. Apparently she can only put up with her weltschmerz for so long before she starts throwing _Dead Screams _at cloud formations. I think we'll just give her a few days, then I'll go back."

Neo-Queen Serenity shook her head ruefully. "This is why she needs a vacation."

_Noun: __sentimental pessimism; sorrow that one feels and accepts as one's necessary portion in life._

_So I am currently... 40 days behind. Yikes! Sorry, guys, I'll try to knuckle down on these. Oh, and if some of them don't make a lot of sense, blame it on me writing it in the Auckland airport. Having to be checked in at 5 AM is a joke._


	245. Berserk

_Berserk_

"She won't find us up here, will she?" Small fingers twirled strands of cotton-candy pink hair worriedly as Chibiusa watched her best older friend going crazy from the dubious safety of the tree she was hiding in with Hotaru.

The older girl shook her head, smirking slightly. "We'll be fine. She checked the tree before we climbed up."

"What caused her to go this berserk?" The young princess asked curiously, still eyeing her mentor dubiously.

"Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa didn't appreciate the… er… distraction she caused yesterday. They hid her time staff in retaliation."

Pink eyebrows raised in surprise. "Her _time staff_? No wonder she's freaking out!"

Hotaru just shrugged, her lavender eyes amused as she watched her other parent pull Haruka's garage, and them Michiru's studio, completely apart looking for her talisman. "At least it's never boring around here."

_Adjective: __violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged._


	246. Bibliophage

_Bibliophage_

"Honestly, Ami, you're such a bibliophage." Makoto said fondly, shaking her head slightly.

Minako and Usagi, who had been busy debating the merits and downsides to a couple of boybands, snapped their heads up so fast Rei winced and worried briefly about them getting whiplash. "Phage! Where?"

Transformation equipment was in hand before they'd registered Makoto falling out of her chair, in tears due to the laughter that was rolling out of her. Ami wasn't in much better shape, clutching her ribs as she tried to form words. "Makoto," She gasped between chuckles as the blondes stared on in confusion. "Maybe we'll quit with the vocabulary lessons."

_Noun: __an ardent reader; a bookworm_


	247. Canny

_Canny_

"It is a most ingenious plan, I'm sure you will agree. First, I figured out their identities and weaknesses. Second, I kidnapped the two of you, knowing it would drive their leader into a most imprudent state of mind. Then I lured them here with you as my hostages. The traps I've devised will fell any canny opponent, and my warriors can handle any straightforward attack! They shall never reach you! And, when they are exhausted, trapped, and low on resources, I shall appear and _take_ the Silver Imperial Crystal! Bwahahahaha…."

"Checkmate."

"What? Argh!" The small, pink-haired young woman slammed her hand on the table and pouted at the smirking man who would eventually become her father. "That's five in a row! How do you _do_ that?"

He just arched one black brow, then began setting up the board again. "Chibiusa, much as I love Usagi, she's _not_ the one you got your intelligence from."

She shrugged and helped him reset the board, both of them ignoring the fuming villain standing just behind him.

Eyes a rather unsettling shade of yellow-green narrowed as an artificially bright red mouth twisted into a snarl. "You will learn better than to ignore me later, but for now I have no more time. I must prepare to greet my… guests." She swept out of the room with another melodramatic laugh, and Mamoru shuddered.

"I think that laugh's more creepy than she is."

_Adjective: __careful; cautious; prudent._


	248. Zeal

_Zeal_

She awoke in an unfamiliar place, being confronted with a sweet looking little woman with a bubble skirt and wings. The last thing she remembered was taking the fight to those troublesome little Senshi.

They had managed to lead her soldiers on a merry chase that more often than not ended with her men caught in her traps, and the few they hadn't spoiled that way those irritating girl-children had _blown up_! They'd almost taken her whole fortress down a few times!

The tiny woman took in her frazzled appearance with a certain amount of wry amusement. The woman's one braid had come free and was standing on end and crackling with electricity. The other was prevented from joining the other by the heavy coating of frost wound throughout it. The ice attack was probably what had put out the fire that had wreaked havoc on her gown. Completing the look were the bruises on her arms caused by the imprint of heart-shaped chain links and the swelling on her chin that surely came from being kicked.

"I am the Cosmos Fairy, and I'm going to assume you, like so many before you, have underestimated the zeal of the Senshi. Don't worry, it's a common look upon would-be supervillains. They sure do make a mess, don't those girls?"

_Noun: __fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor_


	249. Junket

_Junket_

"VENUS!" Neo-Queen Serenity yelled as she stormed down the hall. She was upset with all of her Senshi at the moment, but it was the blonde she was after as it was the blonde who had signed the papers. She burst angrily into Venus' office and didn't believe for a moment the innocent, confused, and busy face she was greeted with.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" The other woman asked, leaning back in her chair. She managed to make the move seem lazy and relaxed which only incensed the one standing all the more.

"What is the meaning of this?" She asked icily, throwing a sheaf of papers down on the table before her.

Venus picked them up and glanced through them briefly. She didn't seem surprised at what was in them, which only strengthened the case against her. "It's the paperwork from the junket we took to Canada last week. These are our timesheets and receipts, which we handed in as per regulations. And _this_ time block, which you've circled in red ink, was when we engaged in some environmental and social reconnaissance."

"Reconnaissance? _Reconnaissance!_ You spent the day skiing in Whistler! You call that reconnaissance?"

"Really, Usagi, I'm surprised. All of us have been working our tails off thanks to that menace last month. We were required to be in Vancouver for a political reason, and merely took _one_ day to relax and recuperate before returning. We were never more than one communicator call away, and we were so burnt out that we were all but useless anyway. You know that. I really don't get what you're so upset about." Venus was frowning now, lecturing her leader right back. The young royal could normally be considered almost too easy on the four that kept her planet-wide kingdom running. For her to blow her stack over something like this…

The livid blonde cut off that train of thought with an angry shriek which eventually became words. "I'm not mad that you _went_, you nincompoop! I'm mad that you _didn't invite me!_"

_Noun: __ a trip, usually by an official or legislative committee, paid out of public funds and ostensibly to obtain information_


	250. Loll

_Loll_

"Venus! _What_ do you think you're doing?" The young socialites clustered around the bubbly blonde that had just been singled out rolled their eyes in exasperation while glaring at the little blue-haired adolescent who was determinedly striding towards the center of the group. "You can't just loll about like that, we have _work_ that we need to be doing! There's an essay for Sailor Harumea, and Sailor Eris was on your case about your left side blocks, and…"

"Conscientious little thing, isn't she?" Sniffed a haughty young woman, prompting titters from her cronies. They drifted off, however, not being interested in listening to the workaholic Mercurian berate the more congenial Venusian.

When they were finally out of earshot, due both to the courtiers leaving and Mercury pulling Venus along towards their quarters, the blonde rolled her eyes and wrapped her unlikely friend in a one-armed hug. "You have no idea how glad I was to see you there. I understand that they're too important to alienate, but _man_ are they a pain at times!"

"'At times'?" Mercury asked, raising one eyebrow eloquently. "No, never mind, I know what you're saying. You can bet that I wasn't joking about that essay, though."

"But _Mercury_!" Venus whined, artful tears coming to her eyes as she gazed soulfully at her friend.

"Don't you 'but Mercury' me! I swear, one of these days I'm just going to _leave_ you with them!"

_Verb: __to recline or lean in a relaxed, lazy, or indolent manner; lounge._


	251. Mesmerize

_Mesmerize_

"That… I… She… Wow!"

"Unh-hunh!" Sailor Venus nodded emphatically, wholeheartedly agreeing with Sailor Mars' speechlessness.

Sailor Moon was staring as well, and Sailor Mercury smiled at how easily Sailor Jupiter had managed to mesmerize her teammates.

She turned her eyes back to the scene before her, her artist's eye enjoying the deadly beauty of her Amazonian friend vanquishing row upon row of low ranking foes. "As if the baking wasn't enough," She muttered to herself, "She's got to go and make war an art form too!"

_Verb: __to spellbind; fascinate_


	252. Metempirical

_Metempirical_

"They seriously can't have this right. I mean, _come on_! How would that even work?" Minako stared at the screen in front of her with irritation.

"It does seem rather unlikely." Makoto observed, nodding her head in agreement. "All of that technology, and only one way to enter or leave?"

"They didn't even have any guardrails!" Usagi breathed in horror, causing the others to facefault around her.

"The Bifrost with handrails… Nope, I really can't see that. Usagi, I don't think it's meant to be _safe_." Rei commented exasperated.

"Of course not!" Minako chirped, eyes aglow with a gleam the rest were only too familiar with. "Just imagine: A world of magic, populated by handsome warriors that really know how to throw a party…"

She was cut off by a snort from Ami, who hadn't even seemed to be watching the movie. "Yes, and according to the Greeks we all live on top of Olympus, and only you blondes are girls. You can't trust Hollywood to have gotten Norse mythology right, and you can't even trust the mythology to have gotten Asgard right! We are not spending our time looking for a way to enter your metemperical, imaginary party zone, so don't even ask. _No_!"

Minako and Usagi pouted while Rei smirked. It was Makoto who finally responded. "That's fine. I liked Iron Man better anyway."

_Adjective: __beyond or outside the field of experience_

_I recently saw Captain America, and have been on a Marvel kick since then. I can't wait for May!_


	253. Nyctophobia

_Nyctophobia_

There was silence around the room. Even the shot glasses were undisturbed, despite the 'I never' that had just been spoken.

Ami found her voice first. "Nyctophobia, Setsuna, really? _You_?"

The tall woman flushed so deeply that it was obvious even through her deep tan. "It never _gets_ dark at the time gate!"

_Noun: __an abnormal fear of night or darkness_


	254. Perdition

_Perdition_

"Rei… You don't have to join us today. We don't want you to feel that this is a requirement." Damp violet eyes raised to the soulful azure ones watching her compassionately.

Rei raised her palms to press against her eyes and fell gratefully into the hug her best friend offered her. "I'll be there." She vowed, her voice showing no hint of the delicate state of her emotions at the moment. "He followed his own road to perdition, we didn't force him to go that way. No one forced him. He _chose_. And so have I."

The newspaper fluttered to the floor, bold black ink loudly proclaiming _Senator Hino Blasts New Monarchs, Says The World Doesn't Need Them._ Smaller print proclaimed that he would be leading the anti-monarchy protesters in their upcoming attempted coup.

_Noun: __a state of final spiritual ruin; loss of the soul; damnation._


	255. Plebiscite

_Plebiscite_

"I think this one is very meaningful…"

_Twitch_.

"But it's boring. Something more like this…"

Hands clenched white around the edges of a sheaf of paper.

"Something this important can't be decided only by empirical data. It has to come from the heart, and combine all of those facets…"

_Slam!_ Everyone looked up as Mercury banged her papers on the table harshly. She quickly grabbed out her computer, typed a few lines, and looked at them. "There. It's arranged. We'll have a plebiscite on which of those three songs should be our theme song. Now can we _please_ all get back to our actual work? Countries don't run themselves, you know."

_Noun:__ a direct vote of the qualified voters of a state in regard to some important public question._


	256. Prehensile

_Prehensible_

"Say, Mercury, why do you keep your hair short?" Lady Venus had finally convinced Lady Mars to join them in the evening, so she'd invited all four of them into Lady Mercury's rooms for the duration. It was not surprising, as hers tended to look like a laundry pile on the best of days. Plus, she'd been determined to have all four of them there, and Mercury was the best at avoiding due to her devotion to their bookwork.

Lady Mars didn't avoid. She just refused.

Mercury looked up from the book she was reading and fisted her hand in long, blonde tresses before Venus could even think of moving or blocking. She gave a sharp tug, eliciting a yelp from their leader, before releasing it. "It's prehensible. The last thing we need is an enemy controlling you in a fight due to how ridiculously easy it is to grab a hank of hair."

Jupiter raised a hand to her own curly ponytail, apparently checking it's length at the same time as she smiled at the easy friendship that had somehow formed between the two most diametrically opposed of them.

Mars just raised an eyebrow at the young scholar, obviously daring her to even _try_ touching the long ebon wave that graced her own head. Mercury just smiled back, as sweet as can be.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't think of trying to tell you how to wear your hair. That's a personal choice, and you may do as you will." She turned back to her book, her feigned disinterest caught out by the humour in her voice as she continued on. "Just be aware that if it _does_ happen in battle, I _will_ freeze whatever has you stuck so it snaps right off where the problem is."

_Adjective: __able to be seized or grasped_


	257. Quean

_Quean_

"_Queen_ Beryl, _Queen_ Nehellenia, _Queen_ Banadine… They mean _que-AN_, surely! Taking things that don't belong to them, causing all sorts of trouble, attacking the people I care for the most… Oh, just _wait_ until I get my hands on this one! Take _my_ Mamo-chan, will she? We'll see who's laughing _then_!"

Mercury sighed and brushed aside a branch that had almost slapped her face when the irate blonde she was following had stormed through, ignoring anything as unimportant as a mere branch in favour of her current temper-tantrum. Normally she would call her leader on her language, but Mercury figured she'd make an exception this time. Due to the stress of his finals, Mamoru had been distracted and gotten kidnapped at least three times this month. If finals didn't kill him, as he kept complaining they were likely to, she was sure his girlfriend would oblige.

_Noun: __an overly forward, impudent woman; shrew; hussy_


	258. Rankle

_Rankle_

It had started with a simple observation. Mercury had made it, unsurprisingly enough. She'd been trying to sooth one of the other girls, also not a surprise. It was made towards Mars, but that was unimportant. It could have been to any of the other girls. It applied to all of them equally, including her.

"It does rankle that only they ever get to make those ridiculous speeches. They actually look kinda fun."

That idea, that they should all be able to make utterly ridiculous comments in the middle of a fight, had stuck with them, and eventually grew. Oh, they never took their leader's limelight during a fight itself, but _after_, when she was busy cuddling with her boyfriend and the others were at loose ends…

Such was why they were currently sitting in a bar, ignoring their fourth year finals and having far to many fruity drinks while inventing all sorts of interesting speeches and poems.

"There once lived a girl on the moon

Who wanted a partner to croon

Poems, short and sappy

Were enough to make her happy

And into his arms she did swoon." Minako finished off her Appletini and grinned at the other girls, pointing out Rei as the next one to finish her drink and perform.

The brunette tossed back her Bottlecap before speaking, giving her a moment to think. The only rule was that they couldn't repeat anything, and it wasn't always easy to remember who had said what on the fourth round.

She cleared her throat, opened her mouth, and then paused. She pursed her lips briefly before nodding her head and beginning. "Daring to cloud the mind of innocent, unaware young women is diabolical, and providing hangovers as well pushes your actions into pure evil! In the name of shnockered university students everywhere, I will punish you!" With that she swiped the rest of Makoto's strawberry Margurita and attempted to down that too. She was prevented by a laughing, uncoordinated Soldier of Thunder, the two playing a joking tug-of-war game before the tall, ponytailed woman successfully reclaimed her drink and finished it.

Ami watched in quiet contentment as Makoto spun out a couplet that would not be appropriate for any place more family-friendly than a bar, happy to be with her friends in this way, and happy they got some release from the terrible duty of their oaths. She wasn't quite drunk enough to join in their boisterous revelry, but that was okay. Another two Caesars and she'd be dancing on the table, an experiment she'd sworn never to repeat after the time she fell off and took Minako and three drinks out with her.

She cocked her head to the side, then gave a philosophical shrug and chugged the entirety of her almost-full fourth drink. There would be time to regret getting up on that table later, and for now she had a haiku to share.

_Verb: __ to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment in._


	259. Sepulchral

_Sepulchral_

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Mars declared, glaring at the woman who was currently waving a clipboard in her face, apparently not willing to let the matter rest.

"It is appropriate for the dignity and presence of the new monarchs. They are very young, and need some help looking as wise and sober as a ruler should…"

"I don't _care_ what fancy words you wrap it in!" Sailor Mars broke in, cutting across the interior designer's little speech. "There's austere, and there's sepulchral! You are _not_ putting those statues in the palace! And don't think I don't know about your cousin the sculptor. You don't get to unload his useless statuary on us! Those things are closer to gargoyles than neo-Grecian gods, anyway."

_Adjective: __proper to or suggestive of a tomb; funereal or dismal_


End file.
